All Shooting Stars Fall
by national babe
Summary: Bill is a devious creature. If he has a goal, he will see it through, and what better way is there to destroy a family than to take one if their own from them? It's their fault for not giving Mabel the attention she needed anyway. Everything is going so well for him, but has he finally bitten off more than he could chew? (MaBill fanfic ahead, I am trash.) (Starts off dark.)
1. Just Wish Someone Understands

Mable had always wanted a better ear to rant to when she was having boy troubles. Wendy was cool but could be apathetic; Dipper loved her, but he was always buried in that journal anymore; Candy and Grenda didn't always understand; Grunkle Stan was an obvious no; it really wasnt any of Soos's business, though he did give the occasional dating tip to Mabel: and candy. Now that she thought about it Soos really rather spoiled her.

Mabel sighed and kicked a pebble that was on the walkway. First "Norman", then Gideon: both total jerks. Then Mermamdo, her first kiss and crush who wasn't a disappointment, but he was engaged to the Queen of the Manatees now, so cross him off of the list. Then the Sevral Timez boys, all of which she had a crush on but given that they were uneducated clones that she couldn't keep, they were out too. And of course quite a few attempts at random boys she came across that never held any fruit.

Then Gideon attacked the Shack in force after his failed attempt with the triangle guy and all thoughts of boys were temporarily removed from her mind.

Temporarily.

Then Gabe showed up, and she was right back into the old loop of cute boy, total jerk. Honestly, she was mega stressed out everytime she was around him, and the weirdo kissed his own puppets. He was literally always wearing them!

And she supposed there was the side problem of Dipper being possessed by the triangle guy too. That wasn't good.

Mabel heaved another sigh and flopped down into a clearing she had come across. Birds and clouds lazily made their way across the patch of late evening sky and it helped to calm her down slightly. She always liked the deep reds and purples of the setting sun. All those pretty streaks of color in the sky.

"Just wish someone really understood."

Mable shot up and gasped as the world turned all these ugly and NOT pretty shades of grey, black, and white. She had seen this unattractive color palette before, in her Grunkle's mind. She certainly wasn't there now.

"What's this? I thought shooting stars were supposed to appear at night. You're a little early dear."

Mabel whipped around. "TRIANGLE GUY!" She pointed accusingly.

Bill rolled his eye. "Please, Shooting Star, you know my name now. Don't wear out 'triangle guy'."

"WHAT YOU WANT?!" Hmm, yes. Good English. Very clever.

Bill did his impression of raising an eyebrow. What he wanted was a really good question. He had even surprised himself and showing up so soon after his defeat at this pesky girl's hand. But the opportunity was too great to pass up, and already a plan was forming in his head. It was risky, and it would take a very long time if it succeeded, but he was a patient gambler, and something told him this would be all worth it. "Oh the question isn't what I want. It's what YOU want."

Confusion flickered across Mabel's face, her fists lowering slightly. "Huh? What I want?"

"Of course!" Bill waved his hand and suddenly they were sitting on beanbag chairs, sipping hot chocolate. There was a table inbetween them with an assortment of stickers. Mabel gasped, even though they were as boringly gray as the rest of the world. "Afterall, didn't you just say how much you wished someone could listen? Not try to force advice onto you? Understand without questioning? Isn't apathetic to your plight?" Mabel was enraptured now. She nodded dumbly, already covered in several stickers. Billed waved a hand. "Go on then. Tell me."

Something seemed to click behind her eyes and Mabel slowly withdrew from Bill. "Hold it, aren't you like, super tricky and stuff? What's the catch? "

Bill widened his eye and mocked placing his hand on his non existent chest. "A catch? Star, you wound me! I don't always work for an end." Blatant lie, but she couldn't tell. "After all, Gideon was a job opportunity and your brother ... well, Pinetree is terribly easy prey and I do love a good spot of chaos."

Mabel pulled her mouth into a squiggly line and nodded her head side to side in a 'you're not really wrong about that so I guess I agree' motion. And she loved some good natured chaos too, so it isn't like she could fault him entirely for that. Dipper wasn't harmed too badly.

So she shrugged, returned to her stickers (which, to her delight, were now filled with color and sparkle,) and told Bill her woes. True to his word he nodded and 'aww'ed in sympathy when a reaction was required. Playing along to even the most boring and pointless of tales was a certain skill of his, one that came easily what with not having a face and possessing a cold heartless will. In return he answered some questions of hers: where they were (the mind scape,) how old was he (older than her known universe and then some,) why does he call her Shooting Star and Dipper Pinetree (what's wrong with a good nickname here and there,)?

Eventually, it got late. Bill looked at his summoned pocket watch. "Oh dear look at the time! You have simply got to be heading back!"

Mabel pouted. She had liked having Bill there to listen to her. No one EVER listened to her. "Awwww, do I have to?"

He did his best to look sympathetic and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Yep. But don't worry! You can come back again! My doors are always open Shooting Star."

She brightened immediately and he tried not to notice how he could suddenly see the color of a nearby tree. She was infecting his mind scape. "Really?!"

"Of course. I can even send you close to home if you would like so you don't walk through the dark," he offered, a true gentleman. Flattery and sweetness was what was needed here. Mabel was too innocent for her own good.

With a snap of his fingers, she was gone with a parting cry of "bye then Bill! See you again soon!"

As soon as she had dissapeared he let out a sigh and a wretching noise. So much gush about those useless male meatsacks. He snapped his fingers and removed every spot of color from his world; all of the pink and neon yellow from the stickers to the natural color of the bark. If anyone was decorating the mind scape it would be him, for it was his realm. He coughed and the world turned various morbidly blended colors: blood reds, black, violet, orange, and oh so much gold.

Now this was more like it.

Meanwhile Mabel had skipped through the house completely undisturbed. She had a nice feeling in her chest that Bill could be a great friend. Maybe they all got off on the wrong foot and they could make up. That would be nice.

But as she hopped into bed, something at the back of her mind told her that she shouldn't tell the others she had met up with Bill. Dipper seemed to hate him, and was still recovering from being possessed. Grunkle Stan didn't know about Bill or any of the magic that went on around him. Soos, Wendy, Candy, and Grenda wouldn't understand.

Mabel shrugged underneath her covers and snuggled deeper into her bed, and began a happy dream about dogs the size of houses. Quite a lovely dream, especially compared to the nightmare Dipper would wake up from in the middle of the night for the fifth time in three weeks. He was having quite a lot of those recently. But she couldn't tell what his problem was. Mabel tried to comfort him and fell asleeep in the middle of it, drawn back to unconsciousness by the lure of her house sized doggies.

(Since I'm posting these back to back as I've already written them before hand, A/N will be at the end of chapter 4)


	2. A Best Friend

It wasn't long before Mabel was coming every day for her talk with Bill. He always accepted her like he said he would, often having their beanbag chairs and drinks ready before she arrived. Mabel supposed that all the greys, whites, and blacks of the mind scape weren't so bad, but the color that came when she arrived was simply so much better. Over time it had moved away from neons and saturated colors to ones much more natural in hue (much to Bill's great relief.) Mabel was delighted when Bill remembered everything she had told him. People normally needed reminders. Mabel didn't have enough fingers to count how many times she had told Dipper and Grunkle Stan that no, this wasn't the passing crush from two weeks ago, that was two weeks ago you guys, this is someone new, honestly, don't you listen? But she didn't have to do that with Bill. He always remembered with shocking clarity. Eventually she wasn't telling of just her boy troubles, but everything in her life. She told him how Soos had nearly been stuck forever with a living video game girl, but in the end had gotten with Melody and how adorable they were together.

Bill lost his lid when she told of how Grunkle Stan lost his hands to a witch. He had cackled for a solid minute. Sure he was watching everything unfold in real time, but Mabel could tell stories with humor. She also tactfully glossed over the terror of living clay stop motion animation figurines. Bill knew anyways. Then they got to Waddles becoming a super genius and Dipper's disappointment when he returned to his normal state.

"Pinetree sure does seem determined to know everything he can. I mean ... the laptop, this pig ..."

Mabel shrugged. "He's always been a nerd. Now he has a lot of things to nerd over. Sure, I'm happy for him but I wish he would pay more attention to me."

Bill was very interested when she told him of the Blind Eye Society. A way to erase everything in one's mind ... that could prove dangerous. But he kept these thoughts to himself, instead congratulating her on her "bravery" to remember her past and failed romances. A pat on the shoulder and one beaming smile later and another pop of color appeared in the world. All of her positivity was spreading like a disease. Everytime she left he made sure to erase the color but it kept coming back quicker and quicker with her visits. When she came to tell him of her adventures through time and Blendin Blandin, color popped into the world immediately. It was hard for him not to scowl and snap.

Yet as time went on, as he learned of the love god and Northwest mansion affairs, he found that the color was beginning to annoy him less and less. Partly because he knew of something coming that she didn't.

So then, when she didn't show up one day, he was on cloud nine.

It was all coming together.

It was another two days before she showed up in the mind scape panting (even though while there she didn't need to breathe) and covered in leaves and scratches. She was grinning wildly.

"Woah-oh! What happened to you Star?" Bill of course had to act completely ignorant. She had clearly come to trust him quite dearly, and he couldn't afford any mistakes, so he patted her head and summoned her some flavorless water. Her scratches healed and her hair detangled at his touch.

"I have a second Grunkle!"

Bill leapt away with a hand on his non existent chest as if this was all new and surprising to him. "Hold on now! Another great uncle?" Mabel nodded vigorously. "Shooting Star explain! If you had two I feel like I would have known by now."

She hurriedly explained everything to him. Well, she explained what all she knew or had gathered. There were quite a few gaps or criss-crossing facts in her story that Bill expertly pointed out, sowing the seeds of distrust in her mind. Why weren't they telling her everything? She was just as important as Dipper, and he always knew everything while she was just pat on the head and sent away. Mabel frowned and folded her arms as these toxic thoughts dripped into her mind. Bill had to work to keep the amusement out of his voice. "Oh, don't look like that! I'm sure everything will work out just fine. And besides, who needs them to keep you company and tell you things when you have me?!" He gestured and watched another spark of color appear in his world at his words; almost everything was in color now.

"Yeah... yeah!" She leapt to her feet, making excited fists and grinning in determination. "Y'know what? Imma make 'em tell me!"

"That's the spirit!"

"I'll figure it out and prove I'm just as important as Dipper!"

"You're not as important, you're even more so!"

"YEAH I AM! Send me back! I gotta get started! You're the best!"

Bill snapped his fingers, and she and her color dissapeared instantly. At once he began laughing his head off.

This was all too easy! She was too trusting of him. And his little side work of constantly terrorizing Pinetree with nightmares while Mabel had wonderful fantasies as she slept was producing delightful results; the foolish boy was actually growing jealous, and sleep deprivation was doing nothing to help his mood. It would only be a matter of time before he eventually snaps at his sister and little Star would come running back to Bill for him to pamper her and further the rift while pretending to mend it.

Bill watched as she skipped into the house and went immediately down to see Fordsy. Mabel was hopping up and down, asking question after question. Sixer was utterly overwhelmed, and what he could get out went right over Mabel's head.

He grinned at the chaos. Mabel was awkwardly sent off to her room for the night and she trudged up the stairs in defeat. Her failure was soon forgotten as another dream of a land filled with candy and rainbows woven by Bill pulled her into blissful unconsciousness. She didn't even wake up when Dipper shot out of bed with a yelp. Pinetree sent a glare her way before climbing back into bed himself, not that he would sleep again.

Too easy.

As Mabel faithfully returned day after day, she tried to cover her defeats with an overly cheery and false disposition of happiness. Bill didn't let that last long.

"What's the matter Star?" He eventually asked. She had just finished her tale of Dipper and Ford being caught in a real game of Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons, and even a viscous and prideful statement of "and then I had to be the one to save their sorry butts," didn't cover anything.

Mabel sighed, her smile washing away. This was the first time in several visits that the world hadn't started to fill with color as soon as she arrived. "Getting to know what's happening is proving harder than it first seemed. No one wants to tell me ... they think I'm a child! Dipper and Great Uncle Ford spend all their time together, and not with me. How am I supposed to know anything when I only see Dipper at night cause he spent another whole day downstairs?"

"Why don't you ask Stan? Given that his brother is the one seemingly at the center of this, he might know and can tell you! That way you can come at them with some information under that adorable headband and increase your chances!" Like that would work. If there was anything Bill knew, it was the Pines family drama.

Mabel brighted, not realizing the futility of the whole suggestion. "Yeah! Grunkle Stan is a total pushover. I honestly don't know how Dipper has any issue with him."

"Pinetree has no social skills or charisma." Bill spoke bluntly. Dipper had become quite the teasing/mocking subject of the two, so he didn't have to worry about upsetting her.

"What's charisma?"

"People skills. What you're simply full of Star." The flattery was sweet and obvious, but Mabel soaked it in as if it would save her life.

"Awwww, thanks. You really are a great friend Bill. Beats me what they have against you."

Bill rolled a hand dismissively. "Eh, they aren't open people. One bad day and they're against you forever."

The days continued to pass, and Mabel tried to get Stan to tell her what he knew. She got a nasty surprise when his voice turned bitter and he angrily said that he didn't know cause "heaven forbid if you tell the guy that just spent the last 30 years trying to save your life anything about what's going on. Trust me Sweetie. Don't even bother with my brother, like I do. He's a no good sack of prejudice." It was here that Stanford walked in. Mabel had tried to break the two out of their fight, but soon had run away fighting off tears. She didn't go to Bill that day. She didn't want to tell him that another of his suggestions hadn't worked and she was no closer. She busied herself trying to get Stan as Mayor. Mabel said it was because he deserved it, but Bill had given her the idea that if Stan was Mayor he could force Ford into telling them what was happening.

At least this time the idea failed because of Stan's history, and nothing complicated.

But then came the day of the unicorns. Ford had rightly gotten the idea in his head to protect the Shack from Bill and his influence, and Mabel had all but cried in joy at the opportunity to meet and be blessed by a real life unicorn.

"Honestly Mabel, can you tone down the excitement?" Dipper was grumbling. He had massive bags under his eyes and was slowly becoming nocturnal with the sheer amount of nights he stayed awake and slept in the day. He honestly looked sick.

"Why? I'm gonna meet unicorns! I even dreamt about them last night!"

"Luc-ky you," Dipper scowled, pouring himself a cup of milk. "Aren't I glad to know that someone is enjoying themselves when they sleep."

Mabel tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

He finally snapped, their great uncle's watching in surprise. "I mean I'm getting sick and tired of you always getting full nights of sleep while I'm lucky if I get any at all that isn't plagued with nightmares! You aren't even waking up anymore when I do! You just keep sleeping and mumbling to yourself!"

Mabel felt her skin grow hot as she tried to fight off tears. "And that's somehow my fault?!"

"I don't know!"

"Well maybe you should learn! Maybe if you didn't spend all day down there in that stupid basement that you won't even tell me about and went outside for once you'd feel better!"

"I've tried telling you but you never understand!"

The air seemed to snap. The room went from pleasantly warm to icy cold in one millisecond. Every drop of poison Bill had placed in Mabel's mind twisted his words. She bit her lip, trying to keep the tears from falling. Dipper winced and held up his hands. "Mabel, wait, I'm sorry I didn't mean -"

"I'M NOT STUPID!" She stormed to the front door, grabbing her backpack and flinging the door open. She turned around as quick as a snap in the doorway, facing her frozen family. "I'm going to get that hair and I don't care how I do it! I'm not stupid!"

And with that she sprinted away.

She didn't immediately go to the unicorns. Partly that was because she had forgotten to ask Great Uncle Ford where they were. Mostly it was because she needed reassurance. It was as if in one blink she had left the front porch and was in the clearing where she met Bill the next. Another blink and the world was that comforting monochrome. Mabel broke into tears, wailing to Bill how Dipper had lashed put at her, how no one belived in her, how they really DID think she was stupid.

Internally Bill was delighted to hear this. It was everything he needed! Who knew a-not-yet-13 emotional meatsack could be so useful! But externally he was forced to pamper her. He wrapped an arm around her and patted her shoulder. "Oh dear, I simply can't belive it. Your own family." She continued to sob, wiping her face with the sleeves of her sweater until it was soaked before using the tissues Bill supplied for her. "Hey, don't be like that! After all, not everyone thinks of you like that!"

Mabel drew in another shaky breath. Lifting her gaze she looked Bill in his one big eye. "Who doesn't," she asked despondently. "Those three are the big shots, everyone listens to them!"

"Well, I don't." Bill let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "Your family and I have never gotten along. You're the only one I like out of them Shooting Star." He wasn't lying. She was almost as chaotic as him (albeit in a different fashion,) and she could be terribly hilarious at times. In the end she was still a tool to his end goal, but he might just keep this one. He wasn't sure yet. "Whoever looks at you, you funny and clever powerhouse, and thinks 'this one has no use', is entirely stupid in my opinion."

She let out a shaky laugh. "Huh, yeah I guess you're right. Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now," he snapped his fingers and they were in their usual set up. Her sleeves were dried and her face was free of tears. "You said you were off for unicorn hair?"

She blushed. "Oh yeah. Do you ... happen to know the way there? I kinda forgot to ask."

"Of course," Bill drawled, waving his hand once. "I can tell you everything you need to know about them!"

And he did. He told how they were a bunch of over glorified fakes who only cared for themselves: he told her that they would never accept her good works for hair, no matter what: he explained how to get to them (bypassing the method used in the journals and exposing a little secret of his): explained their weaknesses: helpfully made sure she had a pair of scissors in her backpack. At last he promised he would be right beside her the whole time, helping her when she needed it.

With another snap of his fingers, she was back in the real world. Mabel had insisted that she make her own way to the unicorns. Determined to prove herself, she pressed onward, listening to Bill ramble in her ear. The mindless chatter was comforting. Sure it could get a little dark at times, but in the end it was something to listen to and focus on.

That evening she did indeed make it back to the Shack, victorious over the unicorns all on her own: almost; after the scuffle Bill had teleported her and her stolen loot to outside the Shack (but not before a brief celebratory party.) It was a moment of pride for both demon and girl to see the faces of her family as she walked in with half of a mane of unicorn hair, a backpack full of treasure, and covered in sticky rainbow colored goop after having seemingly defeated a unicorn all on her own; technically she had, for Bill had never lifted a finger, only giving her tips and the occasional instruction.

Bill took silent cheer in watching Ford's utter shock verging on horror. Dipper had tried to comfort Mabel that night and apologize, but she had simply turned her back on him. Just as he had done to her in her mind. It didn't help that before hand Ford had pulled Dipper away to speak with him privately.

Earlier, after Mabel had stormed off, Ford had asked Dipper intently about his nightmares and Mabel's lack of response to them. The child explained that they always contained horrible imagery and were haunted by Bill or his laughter, and had started almost immediately after his first encounter with the demon. He went on to say that Mabel seemed completely untouched, if not better than ever before. Now Ford had pulled Dipper down to voice to him his concerning conclusion that Bill was invading his dreams; probably simply for the fun of it.

"But don't worry! Now that we have the barrier up, it should theoretically keep him out of your dreams as much as out of Shack."

Bill watched from a great distance away, using his connection to Mabel as an anchor to receive even this low quality feed of the Shack basement. It seemed his little game with the younger Pines twins dreams was finally over. No matter.

Everything was still going according to plan.


	3. The End of the World

It was a week before the end of summer.

It was time. The day this world knew who was really in control was here.

Every trick, every deal, every conversation was finally - FINALLY - coming together. Bill watched his silly little Shooting Star run from the Shack in tears. He watched as she came running to him. His nonexistent heart was drumming a wild beat against his equally nonexistent chest. It was here, it was here, IT WAS HERE.

Her world turned gray before she even reached his clearing.

Bill didn't even bother to ask what was wrong. She knew he watched everything, and he knew she would tell anyway. All he had to do was deal with the ugly sobbing.

"Bill - this, this was - augh! THIS WAS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!" Mabel pulled put of his one armed embrace, standing and pacing in worry and distress. "My two best friends won't even be there for my birthday, highschool is apparently a nightmare, I have to leave Gravity Falls, and - worst of all - I HAVE TO LEAVE YOU AND DIPPER BEHIND!"

"Woah, hey," Bill spoke in his best soothing voice. Admittedly it wasn't the best, but in Mabel's mind he and Dipstick were on equal levels of affection so it didn't really matter. He shushed her, rubbing a shoulder and running his fingers through her hair. "Calm down there Star. C'mon tell me all about it." She sniffed disgustingly. "I mean, we both kinda knew that when you left, I would get left behind, but Pinetree? What has he done?"

This started a whole new wave of tears. "Great Uncle Ford offered him an apprenticeship Bill! An apprenticeship! It was supposed to be us together forever! Now he isn't even going to be there for me when I enter high school." Mabel hiccupped and withdrew into 'sweater town', not noticing Bill eyeing his own dimension: he had finally started paying attention to it since her arrival and was in for a surprise.

The colors that came as a packaged deal with Mabel were acting strange. Instead of the usual reaction when Mabel came in depressed (which was muted colors or the standard monochrome,) the Mind Scape had grown darker. Blood reds were dripping down the 'walls', the 'floor' was turning a blue as dark as the bottom of the ocean, and there were streaks of obsidian black shooting around; one ran into a tree and exploded in a concentrated burst of multicolored craziness. It screamed Mabel in color and energy. The exploding colors burst out along the trees, saturating them in an eyesore of a rainbow before soaking and disappearing into the trees like water into a sponge.

Shooting stars of Mabel's despair. He directed a few more to explode, watching intently.

Bill was almost in awe.

Watching a fifth and final one burst, he wrapped the moment in a spot of magic to study it later. It could prove exceedingly interesting indeed.

Regardless, he pulled himself back to the present. Her choice of wording was simply too good. "Together forever ..." he mused. He snapped his fingers as if an idea had magically come to him. "Hey I think I know how to help!"

She looked up at him, eyes full of overflowing tears. "How?"

Bill moved in front of her, gesturing excitedly, his anticipation building to a point where he could no longer control it. "I can create a bubble, just for you! Time will be dead, summer can last as long as you like! Paradise! Every wish of yours, granted. All your friends can be with you, forever."

Dragging him close to her face, Mabel latched onto his sides. She looked wild and desperate. "Yes! Whatever it is yes! Please! I just want everything to be like it was!"

"Woah-ho! Easy there." Bill carefully removed himself, dignified to the last. At least he had softened his edges before she had grabbed him; if he hadn't she could have lost at least a finger, and that would just create all kinds of problems. "Now, listen carefully, I only need one little thing." He created a hologram of the rift, watching Mabel's eyes glaze over. "It's something of your Uncle's. It's the only thing I would need."

Mabel nodded, reaching into her backpack to pull out her pen and paper to copy the image. She startled when the notebook she pulled out wasn't her own. "Oh, I got Dipper's bag," she said in a morose tone.

"Heeyyyy, didn't you say Pinetree had spent all day with your uncle? Maybe he -"

"- has it here?" She pulled out the gizmo Bill had shown her. There was a swirling galaxy inside. Kinda pretty. Giving a little giggle, Mabel shook it and watched the galaxy pull apart like bubbles and form back together. "This is it, yeah Bill?"

It was taking all the Bill had not to reach out and take the rift right then and there. "Yes!" Oh dear he sounded much too eager. Luckily Mabel didn't seem to notice.

"Now what?"

"Well, if we do it here in the Mind Scape, it won't do much good. We need to send you back and you'll have to release that little galaxy on your own: the rest is my part."

"Oh, ok! How do I release it?"

Bill did his best shrug. "However you can manage. Easiest would be to break it. I mean, look at it. It's close to breaking anyway!"

Mabel nodded, rising to her feet. She grinned at Bill and he did his impression of a smile in return.

She was such a useful tool. There was no way that Bill would leave her to suffer through his plans; especially not now that he had a sneaking suspicion about what she was really capable of. If he had his way, he might just pull her out of her bubble now and again to test his theory. But that could wait until he had fully conquered this useless world. "Now, a little warning: when you break it, I'll be taking over the situation and you'll probably instantly black out. Don't worry or panic, it's simply the transition."

"Don't worry Bill! It's just like sleeping, right?"

"Precisely! Now," he raised a hand, ready to snap, "don't let your best friend down alright?"

Dipper had been searching for his sister. Desperately he and Ford had been tearing through the forest, calling out for Mabel; they had even gotten Stan to join, for he would never sit by while his grandniece was endangered. They were panicked.

They were too late. A beam of pure energy ripped through the sky, and Bill's laughter filled the town. The crazed demon was whooping and screaming in delight.

"AT LAST! AT LONG, LONG LAST!" All three froze at his voice, turning to where he was in the sky from their own unique places in the forest. "THE GATE BETWEEN WORLDS HAS OPENED! THE EVENT ONE BILLION YEARS PROPHISIED HAS COME TO PASS! THE DAY HAS COME! THE WORLD IS FINALLY MINE!" Bill began laughing maniacally.

Dipper rushed to where he could hear Ford shouting in fury and despair. "Great Uncle Ford, what's going on? What IS that?!"

Ford turned his forlorn gaze onto his great nephew. "We're too late. It's the end of the world."

They turned back as Bill finally ceased his laughter. He reached down and pulled something up close to him with magic.

No, not someTHING: someONE.

"Mabel!" Ford scrambled to hold onto Dipper, the boy squirming and fighting in his grasp. "Mabel! He's got Mabel!"

"Don't fight me Dipper! We need to think rationally about all this!"

"But he has Mabel! He has my sister!"

Bill was talking much more quietly now, looking at the tiny sleeping figure in his hand. The two struggling people far below could no longer hear what he was saying. "And I suppose I owe you thanks little Shooting Star. You did quite a service for me. And in return, I suppose I will uphold my little promise." Bill wrapped her frail form in a bubble, immense chains linking around it. He positioned his arm back with a parting cry of, "enjoy paradise!" Shooting over the town, the bubble keeping Mabel happy and subdued crashed through the train tracks, finding rest in the wreckage.

Dipper broke down sobbing. Ford had to hold off tears of his own as Bill became ecstatic once again and began developing his own true body.

"Dipper - Dipper you have to listen to me! It may not be too late! We can still save her and the town. Follow me!"

The shaken boy was pulled to his feet. Clumsily he reached into his backpack, trying to contact Grunkle Stan with the walkie-talkies they had hastily given each other.

There was only the rush of static.

Dipper had no Mabel, and no Grunkle Stan. Soon, though he didn't know it, he wouldn't even have his Great Uncle Ford.


	4. Paradise

When Mabel awoke she found herself suspended in an endless expanse of creamy white. She twisted, looking behind herself and spun around helplessly. Mabel frowned, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well what good is this if I don't have anything to stand on?" She complained. Immediately there was solid ground under her feet. Mabel looked down in surprise. "Ohhhh-k. Did not expect that." She tapped her foot. As the tap echoed she laughed nervously before a massive yawn took her over. "Oooohhhhhhhh man. Guess that transition took more out of me than I thought. I could really use some Mabel Juice -"

And there it was, at her words. A full blender of Mabel juice and a tall cup.

Mabel blinked at it.

It, being an inanimate object, did not respond.

"Say what now?!"

Hastily Mabel reached out and poured herself a glass, gulping it down in a record breaking three seconds. It tasted exactly like she made it home! Actually, even better! And to think it had come when she had mentioned it ...

It clicked.

Hadn't Bill said something about this? That any whis of hers would be granted?

"Can ... can I get ANYTHING here? DO anything here?"

There was no response from the colorless void. Mabel swallowed. "Uhhh, I wish for a ... uhhhh ... plastic doll!" For extra measure she snapped her fingers, the simple motion ingrained into her head from watching Bill do it time after time. As soon as she finished, a plastic doll in the most adorable little dress appeared in her hand. Mabel's jaw dropped. She whirled to look behind herself. "A tree!" Snap - a full and sturdy oak appeared. "With a tree house!" Snap - birchwood, two story, pink stained glass window tree house, suddenly nestled in the oak. "With swings and a hammock!" One snap and it was done. Mabel pointed to the 'ground', over the moon with her new found power. "And get rid of this! Too drab. Make it like the fields in Gravity Falls!" An eternal expanse of wheat popped into existence before her. "And how about a stary sky! Shooting stars and galaxies and all!"

Squealing in delight, Mabel continued to design her dream world. A beach, a forest, a town of the softest materials she could think of (ranging from yarn to a lovely quilt her grandma had once given her,) and her own personal tower were all created in a matter of minutes.

And this was how Bill found his silly little Star: running from area to area, fully enjoying the powers she now possesed. "You seem to be happy with the result."

Mabel whipped around with an excited gasp. "BILL!" She tackled the floating demon in a hug, nearly crushing him. "Bill this is amazing! Everything is just like you said and more! Look!" She snapped her fingers and was crowned with a ring of pink and yellow flowers. "I can really do anything here!"

"Of course you can. Would I ever lie to you Star? Have I ever?" His eye latched onto her hand, delighted at her little snap.

Mabel giggled. "No, you're too good for that."

Bill 'smiled' and rose up a little higher off of the ground. He took a good look at the place. "This is all rather cozy but, well ..."

"What?" Bill didn't like it? But he had always liked everything she had done.

"Well, I just kinda expected more people. And by more I mean any at all." Bill withheld a snicker as Mabel blinked in surprise. Oh boy, she really didn't understand the scope of her powers did she? He floated down beside her and rolled his hand in a circle. "It's really simple too! Well, heh, everything here is: it's the exact same method for everything else you've done!"

Mabel stared at her hand for one second, then out at the endless expanse of wheat before her, then back at her hand. She could create anyone? Would they be the real person or technically a fake? Mabel swallowed hard. "Umm. I want the real Candy And Grenda to be transported from ... out there ... to here."

She almost didn't dare to look up.

"Woah! Where are we?" That high feminine voice could only belong to one person.

Mabel looked up in joy. "Mabel!" Grenda's deep baritone rang out across the field.

"Candy, Grenda!" Mabel tackle hugged the two girls just as she had done with Bill moments ago. "Oh my goodness I can't believe it's really you!"

Bill watched from above in mild interest. It didn't take too long for the newcomers to notice him, and he floated in silence as Mabel excitedly explained everything she knew. She outright refused that in her absence Bill was causing Weirdmageddon. In her mind ther was no way that the lovable triangle that had become her very best friend could cause so much havoc; sure, he could get a little out of hand at time, but total destruction across the whole town? Nonsense.

"Trust me, it's all just some fallout from the energy required to make this for little Star." Bill lied, placing one hand on Mabel's shoulder and 'smiling' at the newcomers. The two shrugged, instantly forgetting his actions. They chorused their acceptance. Mabel happily began showing them around, creating for them their own houses and hidey-holes; Candy and Grenda didn't posses the same powers as Mabel, given that they were transported to Mabel Land and not from there, nor was the land designed for them. They could maybe ask for the odd flower or drink, but in the end they had to go to Mabel for anything bigger. It was yet another way that Mabel stood out.

Bill didn't intrude on the trio. He watched from a distance, keeping an eye on Mabel.

He whispered a spell. His eye became solid white and his perception of the world turned grey; he focused in on Mabel. Where Mabel Land was a vast expanse of grey and white (the girls just as boringly bland as the rest of the bubble world,) Mabel was a bright splash of neons and rainbows. She was never one color for long, switching wildly to another every few seconds and always colored in a multitude.

Bill looked down at his own body. He was a clashing storm of yellow, black, and red.

He drew his gaze back up to the retreating three.

Things just got interesting.

Over the next few days Bill made sure to visit the three frequently: whenever there was a lull in the party, or if he was simply in a good mood. Mabel was always ecstatic to see him. She would rush for him and half of the time tackle him in a hug. He found that the hugs and gross affection wasn't as bad as it had been before. Especially now that he knew his little secret about her.

There were times when they would sit and talk for hours, like they had done all summer long. She would ask him how he was doing, if he wanted anything, on and on. Today they had been talking leisurely for a hour. He rolled his eye when she asked him a question she had asked a month ago. "What would you look like if you were human?"

Bill sighed heavily. "We've gone over this Dear."

She had first asked it one Saturday evening when they had been having hot chocolate and doing word jumbles in the mind scape. Bill had smiled and teased her curiosity by waving an hand and drawling "awww, nothing special."

"Oh c'mon Bill. Pleeasse?" She had begged.

He had looked thoughtful before leaning forward close to her. Mabel had sucked in a breath, clearly curious.

"... no."

Watching her deflate had been hilarious. Now she was asking again. "What I would look like as one of you silly meatbags is really irrelevant."

"But I'm curioousssss," she whined. He hated it when she whined. Bill sighed again and was about to tell her to drop it when a suddenly mischievous look spread across her whole face.

Oh dear.

Even if she wasn't the 'smart' twin, she still could be terribly clever.

Mabel snapped her fingers, cutting off Bill's protests. In a puff of smoke, the demon dorito was gone and replaced by a much more human looking replacement standing before her. Mabel's jaw dropped.

Bill was tall. Even taller than Great Uncle Ford if she wasn't mistaken. Thin too; Dipper had more on his own frame, and Dipper was the greatest limp noodle of them all! His right eye was golden and slit like a reptile. His hair was the same color, and kept neatly in an undercut style. His left eye was strange: first off it wasn't even there. In its place was a squat hourglass shape (like you would get from two triangles facing opposite directions and overlayed them until the tip of one is resting at the edge of the base of another,) and more black than the bottom of the bottomless pit. It was outlined in gold, and had a symbol in the middle. It was in the shape of an eye, but upon his gaze falling on her it morphed into a shooting star. There were shiny horns curving close to his head. Bill was dressed in an impeccable black and gold suit, complete with bowtie, top hat, and cane.

"Wow." Mabel felt her face burning up.

Bill sighed dramatically and patted down his new human body, the symbol returning to an eye. "Happy now?" He tried and failed to withhold a snicker at Mabel's dumb nod. This child could so easily be dumbstruck by the smallest things. He couldn't blame her; he knew he looked fabulous in this form. After all, it was specifically designed to attract and charm humans, making them easier prey for deals. It had been centuries (maybe even millennia) since he had last used it as he preferred to outsmart the mortals, and a non humanoid form worked better for the whole 'muse' deception. "Well, it's been fun, but I'm afraid I'm needed back out there. I'll see you soon Star." He tapped her under her chin and began to vanish. "Best get some sleep too. You look quite tuckered out there dear."

Bill snapped his fingers just before he dissapeared and Mabel was transported into her room in the blink of an eye. Sudden exhaustion came over her and she crawled into bed and snapped to turn off the lights and close the curtain about her bed.

When Bill appeared in the real world, he was back in his usual form; sure the human form was nice and all, but he had an image to keep among his maniacs. Of course, now that she had gotten him in his human illusion, Mabel would pester him to visit in that form more and more.

When he looked down he was face to face with Dipper, Wendy, and Soos. The three scrambled back with cries of alarm and fear. He wasn't too surprised that they were there. "Oh, did Gideon fail me that quickly? How disappointing."

Dipper was the first to recover. He leapt to his feet with a cry of "YOU!"

"ME!" Bill responded with the same level of energy (although used in enthusiasm and not anger,) waving his silly little stick hands about for effect.

"What have you done with Mabel?!" Wendy stepped forward, brandishing her crossbow and axe dangerously.

"Me? Do something with little Star? How rude of you to assume!" Bill laid a hand on his chest affrontedly. "I'll have you know I haven't harmed a hair on her head!"

"Yeah right!" Dipper snapped. "Like we'd ever belive anything you have to say!"

"Oh but you should! After all, she and I are the bestest of friends!"

"No!" Dip's voice cracked, where from anger, fear, or his terrible voice to begin with, Bill couldn't tell. "No way! She knows you're no good!"

"Oh she did at the beginning, but over time she started calming down. And when people began paying less and less attention to her and more and more often she was left put of the loop, I soon became her only real solace!" The look on their faces was pure gold. Bill could have laughed for years at their horrified realization that he had been messing with her for a long long time. "And when her dreams of highschool were shattered," Wendy flinched, "no one would come to her party," Soos frowned, remembering how sad she had been, "and - the icing on the cake really - her only brother who she was depending on to be there for her decided to leave her for an apprenticeship with the man who always treated her like a silly child," Dipper clasped a hand over his mouth, fighting off tears, "who was left for her to run to? I didn't even have to make a deal with her."

Dipper began to backtrack, tears flowing freely down his face and over his hand. He shook his head wildly, throwing off his balance. "YOU LIAR!" He miss-stepped and his leg shot through a gap in the train tracks. He plummeted downward with a yelp, one leg dangling through and trying to pull himself up. Soos ran to help him as Wendy threw her axe directly at Bill. It vaporized before him and he laughed openly at the three.

"GET OUT OF HERE! LEAVE US ALONE!"

Still laughing, Bill tipped his hat. "As you wish! I have a meeting with old Fordsy I really don't want to delay any longer. Enjoy paradise!" He snapped his fingers, disappearing with his echoing laughter.

The three bedraggled heroes stood shivering. Dipper was cradled in Soos' giant arms fighting to bring his tears to a halt, Wendy trying to console him. "Hey, Dipper it's ok. Bill is a filthy trickster and liar. We're going to get in, and get Mabel out. Whatever Bill said, it wasn't true, ok?" She pat his back awkwardly.

It took several more minutes before Dipper had composed himself enough to venture forth. With a shaky hand, Dipper opened up Mabel Land. With a snap of his fingers, Bill brought Ford back to life. Holding each other's hands, the trio of heroes entered paradise. Holding the moment he had frozen during Mabel's breakdown, Bill advanced on Ford.

"Tell me Sixer. You like puzzles and strange objects yeah? Care to give a guess as to what this is?"

A/N

So since I've written up to here before posting the first chapter, I suppose I shall put the author's note here. I got sucked into the Falls fandom ages back (sadly not when it was airing,) and recently fell right back in. I am also total MaBill trash. I realize that it may seem rather rushed in these first few chapters, but that is because if you're reading this, theoretically you've already watched the show in its entirety at least once. No need to bore you with completely unchanged details, and simply get on to Mabel's and Bill's interactions. Next chapter will hopefully be a lot less rushed with more dialogue and descriptions and switching between Ford and Bill, and Mabel Land.

Also yeah the meeting with Ford was accelerated. Eh.

Due to Bill's influence from hanging out with him for so long, Mabel Land is slightly different than in show. It will still have basically the same theme, but slightly more realistic and with hints of Bill scattered in here and there. There are more 'natural' things, such as the wheat field, an actual tree, and a tree house. There slightly fewer sparkly things, and (in typical Bill and maniac fashion except toned down significantly,) there is the odd almost-insult traded among two or more people and it is just shrugged and laughed off. With Candy and Grenda added, there will be a few hints of them scattered around too, but that isn't the focus. I also hope you like how I have Bill be human, and know I did not just chuck that in there for the sake of having human Bill; will have a purpose. I am by no means an Alex Hirsch, but I try my best.

Well, I do belive I've covered everything! Time to go write my other story so I can post this so I don't guilt trip myself! Or have others guilt trip me! So long Lovies!

(Also expect at least two, probably three, other GF stories, neither MaBill) (eventually)


	5. Mabel Land

All was silent. All was white. The trio still held hands as they ventured into the expanse of endless cream. The total lack of noise weighed them down on them, imparting the sense that they should pop their ears to relieve the imaginary pressure. They unconsciously huddled closer together.

Dipper was the first to speak. "Where in the world are-"

The ground beneath them rumbled. Cracks sprang to life underneath their very toes and, before one could even begin to summon a warning, the whiteness beneath shattered. They plummeted, shrieking and clutching at each other the whole way down.

With a loud "OOMF," they each landed on the surprisingly soft and forgiving earth. Dipper landed on his back. He winced in pain, cursing his low tolerance for injuries, and cracked his eyes open. He gasped. Wendy and Soos made equal sounds of astonishment, though for different reasons. Dipper was looking up at the most gobsmackingly astounding night sky he could have never even hoped to dream up. Perfectly blue-black, the inky darkness held thousands of constellations, stars, and galaxies, with more shooting stars than he thought anyone could have ever seen in his lifetime (let alone in two minutes!) There was even a glittering asteroid belt. Five brilliant honey-yellow moons (each in a different phase,) shone so much light as to illuminate the earth beneath to rival that of a summer noon.

Soos, fallen on his stomach, gasped as he gazed out to an endless expanse of wheat hills. Brightly colored flowers danced in and out of the stalks, like kittens running loops through floor length window curtains. With a second gasp he realized the flowers were actually dancing; their little bodies were barely more than toothpicks. A teal flower Soos couldn't identify popped up beside him, poking his nose. He sat up, the little flower-people initially scattering away before tiptoeing forward. Little Teal was the first to clamber on top of his foot, where she then began to scale his massive body like a mountain to sit on his shoulder.

Wendy, fallen on her side, gasped. She couldn't belive her eyes. Hardly believing that THIS was the prison that Bill had created for Mabel, Wendy stared at the city sprawling before her. They couldn't have been more than a ten minute walk from the walls: the sound of cars and the thump of music audible. Intricate buildings rose past the stout walls and, centered in what she assumed was the smack-dab middle of the whole world, a delicate sandstone castle tower graced the skyline; its stone was a deep red, its stained glass windows long and perfectly shaped. A balcony jutted from one side, pointing to a moon-set. Its golden spiral roof was the final delicate touch to the garden infested tower.

"Are you seeing this?" All three spoke at the same time, harmonizing with each other. Dipper looked to Soos, Soos looked to Wendy, Wendy looked to Soos. The two shot up with cries of alarm at the sight of the flower-people now crawling all over Soos's body. "Relax dudes! They're friendly little flowers." Little Teal locked tear shaped eyes onto Dipper, mouth forming a dejected 'o' at his reaction upon seeing her. He blushed.

"I'm sorry," he said without thinking. Little Teal smiled and tilted her head and Dipper forgot that he was in a twisted prison made by Bill Cipher. This flower was so... innocent.

"Uhh, ok. This is cool and all guys, but-" Wendy pointed over her shoulder. The two males locked eyes on the city for the first time and together they stood and watched it silently; they didn't know what they were waiting for. "If she's anywhere, Mabel is in there somewhere."

Dipper nodded decidedly. "Agreed." He turned, holding his hand out in a fist. "No matter what happens, we'll get Mabel out of here."

Soos put his massive fist over Dipper's. "For Mabel!" Little Teal sat cross-legged on his wrist, watching them intently.

"For our town!" Wendy added her fist to the stack.

"For our families!" The three nodded once, turned around, and began to walk towards the alluring town.

\-- back in reality --

Ford gazed at the swirling ball. He tossed it from hand to hand, forgetting his "dear host" as he watched the sparks and waves swirl. "I've never seen anything like this! I doubt there is anything of it's like in the physical world!"

"Oh, there isn't." Giddy glee filled Bill's voice as he watched the orb sail from six-fingered hand to six-fingered hand. "I harvested it straight from the mental plane of someone quite special in power."

Stanford looked up in curiosity, nailing an absorbed Bill with a filthy glare. "From the mindscape? Hmmm," despite his will, his gaze returned to the logic defying orb. "How did you pull something from the mind into the physical realm?"

"I have my tricks."

"Of course," Ford deadpanned. Specks of obsidian black were freckled in with streaks of rainbow, blood red, and oceanic blue-black, glittering temptingly. It was all Ford could do to not stare at the orb until he lost himself in its depths. It seemed... eerily familiar. "If this is not physical, (and it is clearly not electrical,) then I would have to say that the only option left is magic itself. How fascinating! To hold magic in your own hands... the studies I could run..."

The orb was snatched from his grip the second the word "studies" fell from his lips. His head whipped upwards to see the ball of magic held in Bill's own two hands almost protectively; he was sending Ford a dirty glare. "To be specific," his voice was just as level as before, contrasting with the fierceness of his single eye stare, "this is a sample of pure emotional magic, taken from one's moment of greatest despair."

Bill watched Ford's eyes widen. His nose scrunched as his eyebrows drew together in a scowl. "Which idiot let you into his mind? Especially when..." his voice trailed off as Bill was overcome with insane laughter in an instant. Bill rolled in mid-air, holding his free hand to his 'forehead' as the echoing laughter from his mad glee pealed across all of gravity falls. "... especially when they are in despair," Ford muttered quietly, muffed at the interruption.

Bill finally stabilized himself, wiping a non-existent tear from his eye. "Oh- oh my! You - you really-?! HA!" Bill took another minute to control himself. "Haaa, you really don't know whose this is, do you?"

Ford crossed his arms, leaned back, and glowered at Bill. "No. Get to the point. Why show me this? Whose is it?"

Bill chuckled yet again. "Oh, it's nothing now." Ford's face was priceless. "I wanted to hold another of your failures over your head, but if you don't know, then I think it'll be better for you to just figure it out on your own!"

As Ford leapt to his feet, the immaterial chains reappeared circled around his ankle. "Now listen here-"

Bill snapped his fingers. Ford's protests were cut off as his body was frozen in gold once again. Bill cackled. "Now listen here," he mockingly mimicked Ford's voice, "I'm a big head scientist with big brains! You have to tell me all your secrets!" His high laughter echoed down the halls. "Oh Fordsy. You always did have a superiority complex." Bill waved his hand, setting Ford in the corner. Floating over to his window, Bill took a look at his Mabel's bubble.

No changes yet. Good. He doubted that PineTree could actually win at taking Mabel away from him, but even he had to admit that it would be interesting to see if he succeeded.

"Boss!" One of his minions knocked on his door. "We captured the traitor Gideon!"

"Hahaha! Good!" Bill delicately set Mabel's orb of magic on the edge of his piano. "Let's show Lil' Gideon what fun really is!"

\-- back in Mabel Land --

This was a nightmare. The whole town was a twisting, chaotic maze of Mabel-like fun. The streets spewed out soap bubbles when stepped on or driven over; people made out of soft yarn and plush dolls roamed; stands with free drinks of Mabel Juice littered the streets, positioned in front of sparkly pastel buildings. Banners and posters filled every free surface; each were pictures of Mabel as a ruler over the land, advertisements to visit other areas of Mabel Land, or friendship selfies. Oversized polaroid cameras roamed, taking surprise pictures of people on the street. One floated over to the trio and flashed a bright light in their eyes. They squinted and yelped. The neon orange camera hummed, then spat out a polaroid the size of their heads and moved along; despite their surprise at the picture, in the image they each were laughing and holding their arms up as if to shield themselves from a water ballon as they huddled close together.

"Dude. This place is weird." Wendy shook the giant polaroid.

Dipper glanced back out to the streets. "We'll never find Mabel in this. This place is filled with everything she likes! Who knows where she could be!"

There was the deep hum of a car engine at his words. A trail of bubbles quickly approached the wandering trio, the hum loudening. A sickeningly purple car sped in front of them, barely missing pedestrians as it zipped through its reckless path. It screeched to a halt. Two perfect looking (perfect if you are a 90s boy obsessed girl) men looked over their sunglasses and blinding teeth at Dipper, Wendy, and Soos; the three groaned.

"Yo!" The blonde hunk, Xyler, yelled.

"We hear you're looking for our girl Mabel!" Craz, the one with shocking blue hair, also unnecessarily yelled. "We can take you over right away dude! Wanna lift?"

"Do we even have a choice?" Dipper asked in a monotone voice.

"No!"

Dipper, Wendy, and Soos squeezed into the back of the sports car; Dipper was in the middle, and not happy about it. Everywhere they looked there was more to see. Stalls sold Mabel Juice and Grenda's favoirite candy. There was a theater with an enlarged replica of Candy's glasses over the door; the sounds of Mabel's play "Glove Story: A Sock Opera," were unmistakable and were being blared from the inside. Cute boys sat at icecream shops and discussed Mabel; Dipper sent them glares cold enough to start a new ice age as the car zipped with sickening speed through streets (and sometimes through buildings).

"Um, dudes?" Soos pointed to a statue they were nearing.

It was Mabel, painted in bright colors that seemed to swirl and shift as you looked at them. She was beaming, laughing at something. Her arm was wrapped around the statue form of none other than Bill Cipher himself; his eye was twisted up to emote that he was too enjoying himself. Like Mabel, his form was also painted, but in a swirl of blood red, bright gold, and black in a sickening whirlpool of violence. His hand was stretched out, pointing away, behind the car.

The awful purple sports car rolled to a stop at the base of the statue. All five passengers got out to stare up at the stone work. "Amazing, isn't it?" Craz said, voice soft in wonder. "The way their colors so blatantly contrast each other makes for a strange sort of visual complement to the other."

"It's like they belong to stand next to each other bro," Xyler finished, sharing a silent fist bump with Craz.

At this, Dipper was suddenly more angry than he had ever been: angrier than with the minotaurs and multibear: then with Gideon: than when Bill had first invaded their lives: angrier than all the times Mabel had teased him or made fun of him or even straight up used him for her advantage.

His sister did NOT belong with the demon triangle who was ruining their lives moment by moment. Mabel in no way, shape, or form complemented that monster.

Dipper rounded on Xyler and Craz. "I thought you were taking us to Mabel?!" He yelled. Wendy and Soos rounded on the two men as well. "So why are we here, getting all reminiscent about my sister being used and manipulated by a literal demon who is destroying everything I have ever known?!"

The men, unfazed by his explosion, shrugged. "Hey man, it's one of the things you do. When someone new comes, you show them the statue."

"Well we don't wanna see it!" Wendy brandished her axe. "We want to see the real Mabel: in the flesh!"

"Alrighty then!" Craz cracked the knuckles in his hands. "Back in our hot ride!" With many grumbles and murderous glares, the three clambered back into the back seat while Craz continued to talk. "One of the many traits of the statue is that it points to where ever Mabel is at all times! That's why it's usually easiest to go to the staue first; this way you know where to head to find her!"

The car turned around. The pointing finger of Bill Cipher pinpointed a tall tower in the center castle in the far distance made of deep red sandstone and decorated in massive seashells.

Dipper felt his stomach roil with nerves and anger. He clenched his fists in the tattered edges of his shorts.

'Hold on Mabel. We're almost there.'

A/N

So here is chapter five! Honestly, I had been planning on putting the entirety of the Mabel Land adventure in this chapter, like how the entire adventure is in only one episode; how ever if I had done that, this chapter would probably be 30mins long just like said episode. So I'm breaking it in two.

I tired to make Mabel Land a mixture between canon fantasy and what I see as teen fantasy. It's a place that at one moment is majestic and incomprehensible, and the next is childish and blaring rock and roll.

(Also I really liked adding in that staue and incorporating the color scheme yet again. Self-fan-service.)

Comments!

CadB and guest, I am super glad you both like this! MaBill is a relatively unloved and unappreciated concept and ship, so there isnt much quality in terms of fanfiction for it; to be honest I wasn't really expecting anyone to read or comment on it! Ya both made my day!

So Long Lovies!


	6. Lady Mabel

Everything was...

Wrong.

Just wrong.

The palace was unguarded, the decorations were plush, the staircases were carpeted, and the three were calmly escorted up to Mabel's room of control.

And Mabel???

Mabel was happy.

She should have been unhappy; she should have been caged; she should have been anything but pampered and in control. The way she looked at them like they were the final pieces to her puzzle, or how she had taken up snapping just like Bill, or how how this all seemed to fit her was all sending red flags flying in Dipper's brain.

Mabel smiled a wide, braces-free smile at the three, continuing in her rambling. "Really though, I am super glad you guys are here! Now everything is perfect!"

"No, no everything is not perfect!" Dipper protested, shoving past Dippy Fresh and throwing his arms out to his sister. "Everything is falling to pieces out there! People were know and love are being tortured!"

Mabel waved a hand, blowing a light raspberry. "Naahhhhh, Bill said it was just some wacky fall-out energy or something like that. I'm sure everyone is fine and you're just over reacting."

Dipper spluttered for a presence to that. "OVER REACTING?!" he over reacted. "Mabel I am not over reacting!"

"Yeah dude," Wendy piped in, sheathing her axe and laying a hand on Dipper's shoulder. "Our families are missing, people are being turned to stone, Bill is running tyrant out there! We don't even know where your great uncles are!"

For a split moment, something flashed in Mabel. Concern maybe? But she yet again brushed it off before it mattered. "Well, Great Uncle Ford is with Bill: that much I know. As for Grunkle Stan, did you even try the Shack? He pretty much never leaves except for groceries, so (if things really are as bad as you're making them out to be [which I don't so, I will remind you]) there would be no reason for him to leave." She knocked the side of her head, smirking. "Duh,"

Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose. He needed to not blow up at his sister in order make sure she came with him. "And, the fact that Great Uncle Ford is in Bill's... 'care' is ok with you?"

Mabel nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah! I mean... just look around! If he would give me this, he's probably taking fine care of Great Uncle Ford!" She snapped her fingers, repairing their clothes and creating food for them. "Besides, if it REALLY IS that bad out there, why bother? I can give you anything you want here! Besides, look at Soos; he's already made friends." Mabel pointed at Little Teal, who was still sitting pretty on Soos's shoulder. The man blushed at Dipper's dirty look. Mabel wiggled her fingers at the living flower and gushed, "did you find a friend Periocha? Don't you just love him?"

Little Teal nodded, using her fingers to push up her cheeks into a wider smile. Soos's eyes widened and he forgot Dipper's anger. "Her name is Periocha? I've just been calling her Little Teal!"

Mabel snorted. "Everyone has a name Soos."

It wasn't long before Mabel had distracted Soos and Wendy with crazy daydreams that would probably have never happened in reality: Soos's father was never coming home: Wendy and the others would never get around to gluing a plunger to the principal's head. It took Dipper every inch of his will to avoid even looking at whatever-it-was behind those large doors.

Mabel pouted at him as he forcefully turned away. "C'mon bro... I know this all isn't the Shack, but you can be happy here! I can make a replica of the Shack! Full sized! I can get you the most amazing tech lab and equipment!" She walked over to him, a little snow globe of the Mystery Shack in her hands and a pleading look on her face.

How many times had Dipper seen that exact same pleading look: he'd seen it when she was begging him to help her woo some random boy; to get breakup with Gideon for her; to work through her crazy sock opera with her; to help her rescue Mermando and put him back out to sea with his family; and countless more times.

And now she was asking him to forget everyone who was suffering and stay in this dream.

Suddenly, Dipper was out-of-control angry. He reacted without thinking and slapped the snow globe out of his sister's hands. It shattered on the ground.

"NO!" He yelled, his voice squeaking at the worst time. "Great Uncle Ford is probably being tortured right now, almost the entire town has been turned into stone statues, and I don't even know for sure if Grunkle Stan is alive! I'm not staying here!"

Mabel rounded on him, equally angry. "WELL THEN LEAVE, IF THIS IS SO AWFUL FOR YOU THAT IM HAPPY, AND THAT EVERYONE HERE IS HAPPY, AND THAT EVERYONE HERE IS SAFE AND CARED FOR!"

"IM NOT LEAVING!" Mabel and Dipper were nose to nose now. "Not without you! I need your help to fix everything that is happening out there! I'm nothing without you, OK?!" Dipper bit down on his tounge: he hadn't meant to say that. Even if everyone else here was just a magical creation, it still hurt to admit that for all to hear. "You're my sister, and I'm not leaving this prison-dream bubble without you."

With that final determined statement, Dipper stalked out of the tower to find some alone time: he needed to think and calm down so he could strategize and come up with a plan.

Mabel's final words ring out through the entirety of Mabel Land.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE SAVED!"

\-- back in reality --

Bill didn't think he could be any more relaxed. This was an all time emotional high for him: he'd tricked that smartest and most infuriatingly lucky family in the town, he'd decimated said town, and now that a well deserved party was over it was high time for his minions to really let loose and enjoy themselves before he turned the core of this planet into a nuclear bomb.

He waved them off towards the portal exit. "Go nuts guys! Let's show these pathetic mortals who's really in charge here!" He turned back to his throne of agony. "Ahhhh, I could really get used to--"

There were several distinct 'ping's. Bill froze. His shout of indignation ripped across the town.

Bill zoomed over to the border of the town himself. Curiously, he poked what seemed to be thin air.

A large ripple cascaded across the sky, revealing the dome surrounding the town.

"This might be more difficult than I thought."

One of his useless minions, far down on the ground, moaned, "I think I broke something."

"WALK IT OFF!" Bill had more pressing matters to deal with than a easily fixed broken bone.

\-- back in Mabel Land, some time later --

Dipper couldn't believe himself. He had come all this way, nearly died to Bill, then nearly died to his minions, then eye bats, then hunger and dehydration, then had been chased by Gideon and his gang, then nearly died in a freak car crash; and for what? To come to this stupidly perfect place and fail to persuade Mavel to come back.

And now here he was, skipping stones on a river with a bumbling tree beside him: Dipper didn't like how the ropes were situated to make it almost appear as though each stuffed animal on the tree had hung themselves.

For a moment, Dipper let himself doubt. "Maybe Mabel is right...? People are happy here, and at least the air here is breathable."

"Dude, you're talking to a river."

Dipper looked up. "Oh, hey Wendy. I thought you were out wrecking the school or something."

"Yeah that got old quick," she muttered, chucking stones into the sparkling water and watching them skip with ridiculous baby giggles. "Plus, this music is really starting to get on my nerves. I think what you said about this place was right."

"Really?" Dipper felt that familiar old happy buzz in his chest, the kind he always got when Wendy agreed with him or complemented him. "Well, then we just need a plan. I've been trying to brainstorm, but I just can't think of a way to dissuade her."

"Don't worry Dipper!" She knocked him on the shoulder affectionately. "You always think of something!"

The two stretched out on the grass. They were silent for several minutes, just staring out into the strange galaxy-filled sky: Dipper was trying to map out constellations he was making up on the spot. He didn't dare try to say anything. He didn't get many silent and happy moments with Wendy, so he wasn't about to blow it now.

"Y'know," she muttered after at least ten minutes. "You're so much smarter than, like, everyone else. Heh- it's funny. If you were any older you'd be, like, my dream guy."

She seemed to be speaking without really thinking, but that didn't stop Dipper's heart from doing a flopped backflip. "Wait, do you... really mean that?" He didn't dare begin to hope, not after so long of pushing down his stupid feelings for her.

Wendy's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. In this place, you could be any age you wanted to be! If you were older... well," Wendy idly fiddled with some flowers beside her, pulling the shorter one up above the once taller flower. "... maybe we could be together? And maybe we could work?"

"Waaiiitttt, really?!" Dipper scrambled to his hands and knees.

"I bet it we ask Mabel right now, she could do it! It would finally be just you and me!" Wendy stood up, holding her hand out to him. The light was doing funny things, going all golden like wacky symbolism in a cartoon. "C'mon Dipper, just take my hand!" She winked at him.

Dipper reached out to take her hand.

But then, in a split second, he remembered. Dipper remembered Robbie and the boys whisking Wendy away to be a riot in school, tempting her with a wild fantasy: he remembered Soos, longing for and following his macho wrestler father: he remembered seeing Candy and Grenda along the way, who had been too distracted to notice him: he remembered Bill, mockingly saying how he and Mabel were the closest of friends: Dipper remembered losing Ford and Stan.

Dipper whipped his hand away, centimeters apart from Wendy's. He scrambled backwards, holding his hand to his chest as if he were burned.

"No!" He screamed. "No, this isn't real!"

Before his eyes Wendy disintegrated into a pile of horrible insects. He screamed and crawled away further. What had once been a bumbling tree filled with maybe-hung stuffed animals, became an awful demon with grey leaves and sunken voids for eyes.

"You shouldn't have done that DIPPEEERRR!" The tree wailed. The stuffed animals that were definately hung by their necks now, turned and stared at him: each one had a single slitted yellow eye - Bill's eye. "There are eyes everywhere," the dolls chorused, pinpointing Dipper in their unnatural gaze.

The Sevr'l Timez guys riding by on a group bike, calling out to Dipper cheerfully, broke the awful spell.

Dipper stumbled backwards, panting. "Ohmygoodness, this is crazy! I - I'm losing my mind! We have to get out of here! We have to get back to the real world!

Everything came to a screeching halt at his words.

\-- once again back in reality --

Bill was unhinged. He wasn't just annoyed that they were confined to this stupid hick town, no. He wasn't just mad because Ford was being a pain and not divulging the equation to break the barrier, no. He wasn't just irritated beyond rational thought that his stupid minions kept grumbling and crying, NO.

No, he wasn't mad about just those. There was a certain other problem occupying his mind at the moment that went by the name of Mason "Dipper" Pines. Bill could feel the unrest and problems that snot-nosed pre-teen was creating in Mabel Land: the eyes and ears he had planted in that world were proving useful.

Bill hovered in front of his window just to stare at Mabel's bubble. He strangely found he needed to assure himself that it was still there.

His lieutenant, Pyronica, gingerly approached him. "Uhhh, Boss?" She was unnerved that he had gone from rampaging to silently staring.

"W h a t," he growled.

Pyronica squeaked. "Uhh... nothing big, no more problems that I am aware of, just a question?" She took his unresponsive silence for an answer. "I was wondering... why did you keep the human girl? I mean I know that she helped bring you and thereby us into reality, and your deals always result in some usually twisted reward for the other person and all; but you never made a deal with the kid and a deal has never stopped you from destroying whoever-it-was who made a deal with you in some brutal fashion or another. What makes her so special?"

Bill was silent for another moment. He was debating whether it would be worth his time to explain it to Pyronica.

Ultimately deciding it wouldn't matter, he snapped his fingers, enjoying Pyronica's reflexive flinch. Mabel's ball of magic materialized in his hand. "You of course know what this is," he said without prelude: he had been toting around and showing off that exact same ball of magic since he built the fear-ramid. "This is Shooting Star's, specifcally, and it is sone of the most powerfully raw magic I have seen- aside from my own, of course." Pyronica gasped in realization. "I don't just have Mabel in that bubble to keep her contained, no. She'll be locked away in there for as long as she needs to be."

"How long is that? What are you waiting for?"

Bill turned to face his lieutenant. Manic glee emminated from him in waves. "Until she starts to see things a from our perspective, of course. That magic has the ability to make our party infinitely more fun..." his voice trailed off on that sinister note. Bill liked the sound of that far too much: Mabel, gone crazy, sticking to the side of who was once her arch enemy, learning to use her unrestrained magic to cause beautiful chaos and havoc. He almost didn't hear Pyronica's next question.

"What if that boy breaks her out and she turns against us again?"

Bill growled at the mention of Dipper. "It's more likely Mabel will boot him out of her own fairytale, but if he somehow does succeed against all odds, then I'll be more than content to rip that magic from her still-warm corpse and use it myself!" His good mood had vanished as soon at it had come, and he was back to yelling. Pyronica scrambled away. Bill ignored whatever she was saying and yelled, "bring Fordsy out here! He still has questions to answer!"

\-- back in Mabel Land again --

Dipper sat stiffly in his chair. He could barely believe that the only chance he had to get Mabel and the others out of here was to endure and win this mock trial; but this was his last chance. If they were to take any longer, Bill might just win. His chances of winning this dumb case were quickly slipping away from him however.

"Well I think we're just about ready to make a verdict," drawled the cat judge.

Dipper leapt to his feet. "WAIT! Don't I get to push my case?"

"Do you even HAVE a case?"

He paused for a second. Did he? What in the world could he possibly do or say to convince Mabel? She knew that Bill had set her here, and she was even grateful for it: the more Dipper stayed here in this freakish world, the more he saw just how much Bill had twisted Mabel around his finger.

Dipper's anger returned. "Yes." He strode forward to the base of the judge's tower. "I call Mabel Pines to the stand!"

The crowd gasped. "Uhhhh, objection?" Mabel looked very confused st this turn of events.

"I'll allow it. We cats are famously curious after all."

Still unsure, Mabel calmly walked to her new seat. She sat down and faced Dipper, who took a deep breath.

"Mabel, listen: I might not have all the answers; I'm not stylish, I'm not cool, and I can't make pugs appear out of thin air." The "jury" booed him for failing to meet their stupid standards. "But I know one thing well, and that's you. And I know that even though you might act like it, you don't wanna be in this fantasy world."

Mabel blew a raspberry, but it didn't have the bite or confidence it normally did. "Yeah right," she said, hesitantly. "Why wouldn't I? I have everything here, and it was a gift from Bill and it's rude to throw away or discard gifts Dipper."

Dipper shook his head and continued. "You're scared: you're so scared of growing up; and who can blame you, I'm scared too!" She interrupted him again, calling her guards to poke foam fingers into her ears. "Look, real life stinks sometimes, but there's a better way to get through than with denial and that's with help from people who care about you."

He took the magical scrapbook from the two hunks off to the side. Gently, Dipper opened the book back to the pages concerning that disastrous photo day. The world melted around them and then there stood a much younger Mabel, sniffling and crying while the photo lady looked on apathetically; but then came in Dipper to the rescue, armed with a razor he definately shouldn't have had. Dipper smiled at the memory. He missed those days. Without speaking, he turned to the next page. A slightly older but still quite young Dipper was huddled in a closet at school, crying from being bullied. As the onlookers watched, something slid through underneath the door: it was a heart-shaped hodge-podge masterpiece made of Mabel's valentine cards. On the back were stickers spelling "to my favorite brother".

Dipper looked back up at his sister, showing more pages of their real bond. "We've always been there for each other, and we always will Mabel. I thought you were the one living a fantasy, but look at me! I actually thought I was going to stay here and take Ford's apprenticeship. Spend the entirety of my teen years cooped up in a dingy basement? How crazy is that!"

Mabel didn't say anything. She just stared at him, dumbstruck.

"Look, I don't know what the future will be, but whatever it is you don't have to fear because we'll do it together!" He stepped up close to her throne, looking her dead in the eye. "I'm not taking Ford's apprenticeship! We've travelled to heck and back to get you and we're going back together!" Dipper reached his hand out to her, pleading for her to please take it and come home: it felt like it had been years since he had seen her. "Leave this fantasy world! Let's beat Bill and grow up together!"

The crowd was murmuring, the judge was banging his stupidly squeaky hammer, Candy and Grenda (who had been present this whole time,) looked up to Wendy and Soos, unsure of themselves now. Wendy smiled down at them and offered a fist for a bump: they opted to latch themselves to her waist instead.

Mabel climbed over the barrier around her throne. "You mean it?" Her voice was shaking. "You're really coming home with me?" She looked seconds away from crying.

"Yes." Dipper smiled. "Awkward sibling hug?"

The crowd gasped and yelled at Mabel to not do it. "You do this and it's all over!" The judge screamed, warning Mabel.

Mabel looked down at her own hands. "Sincere sibling hug," she smiled. The two siblings wrapped their arms around each other. Despite shouts to do the opposite, they patted each other on the back.

A shocking ripple of magic exploded out from them, shooting across Mabel Land. Mabel stepped away from Dipper. She rubbed her eyes with a squint, trying to discreetly wipe away a few traitorous tears from her cheeks. "Aww man! I never noticed how bright this place is! And have I really been listening to the same song this whole time?" Behind her the cat judge was writhing in pain, screeching inaudiably. "Woah! Time out for you!" She snapped her fingers.

Nothing happened.

Her "deer-in-the-headlights" expression wod have normally had Dipper cracking up on the floor, but given that they all were being stared down by a maniac cat, it wasn't as funny as normal. She snapped her fingers a couple more times. "Uhhhh, why isn't this working????"

"YOUR REIGN OVER THIS LAND HAS ENDED!" The cat judge screamed. He dissolved into a grotesque lump of writhing insect-like yarn, the other members in the court doing the same as the jury popped out of existence.

Dipper grabbed Mabel, Soos grabbed Wendy, Wendy grabbed Candy and Grenda in an strong lumberjack move, and all together they booked it out of the town hall. As they dashed for the gigantic Waddles, all around them the world began to decay and distort: the asteroids and meteors (which had been before harmlessly shooting about in the sky,) were now becoming worryingly large; animals turned rabid and attacked each other as they followed hot on the trail of the giant pig; and citizens across the entire world turned corrupted and gave chase. Distantly, Mabel could see the treehouse she had first built. It had remained untouched for so long, but she saw it crumble to monochrome ash in the corner of her eye. The statue of her and Bill was the only thing left uncorrupted, keeping up its sole duty of pointing out Mabel's exact location: the swirling colors were now the ones that had previously only belonged on Bill's side of the statue.

It hurt Mabel to see all her work go. She'd made this world herself. She'd invested love and herself into it. It resounded in Mabel's soul so deeply she worried she might not be able to make it to the barrier before she had a breakdown.

But Dipper was right. He mattered and Bill did not: Bill had hurt them so greatly before, but she had still fallen for his easy flattery.

Maybe she would one day create a model of this world; maybe make a little snow globe of it.

Leaning off of giant Waddles, Mabel snatched a large nail off of the ground. She held it out in front of her as Waddles leapt. Mabel willed a tiny prayer as the barrier stretched, and stretched, and stretched some more. Just when she thought it would never break-

**_BOOM_**!

Confetti flew everywhere comically as the daring few were launched out onto the cliff top. They groaned and slowly stirred. Mabel and Dipper had landed a few feet away from everyone else but they all clambered to their feet, disoriented.

As Mabel stood, she couldn't look her brother in they eye. Dipper noticed, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Mabel? Are you ok?" She bit her lip, shaking her head roughly. Tears threatened to fall. Before Dipper could say another word, she leapt forward and grappled him in a hug: he stumbled a bit from shock, but recovered and hugged her back tightly. Mabel was crying. He rubbed her back. "Hey, it ok. We got you outta there. Bill can't control you anymore."

Somehow, over the rustling and creaking all around them, Mabel's tiny voice could be heard.

"I'm so sorry Dipper," she whispered through her sobbing.

He wasn't totally sure what to say to that. He couldn't exactly say that "none of this was her fault"; while Dipper didn't hold his sister accountable for this tragedy, in all truth it had been through her actions that everything had happened.

"Don't worry. We'll fix this together... I love you sis."

Mabel sniffled and pulled away. She was smiling weakly. "Love you too, Dips. And, if you really want to take Ford's apprenticeship, I won't stop you."

"And miss out on your awkward teen years?" He scoffed, ruffling her already messy hair. "You wish."

They would have maybe bantered some more, perhaps even tried to make light of the horrible mess they found themselves in; but they were cut off by a sound more horrendous than any they had ever heard. The sound caused its own small earthquakes. The screams of terror and pain from the henchmaniacs could just barely be heard under the sound.

It was Bill's unrestrained scream of pure anger.

Mabel was gone from his grasp.

He had spent all that time, all that effort, working his way in close to that infuriating girl, and had even become halfway tolerant towards her: Bill had done all that just for some smelly half-pint prepubescent kid to take all his work from him.

Dipper reflexively placed himself between Mabel and the far off fear-ramid. She was frozen in terror.

"Let's go!" Wendy urged them all onward. "We'll stick to close by the border of the town: it's the least populated with monsters and eye bats. We'll head for the shack. Hope you guys are up for long stretches of walking."

* * *

A/N

Whoop dee do, another chapter! This turned out quite nicely.

We now know a little bit more about this AU Bill as well! He really wants Mabel's magic, and he's ready to take any steps necessary to get it. If you're wondering, of course this come into play later.

And I dont have much else to add. I will say tho, I have updated my profile (and by updated I mean I just created it on a whim) so if you want to know why certain book are getting more attention than others and why some never get attention, go check it out.

Comment, CadB, I'm glad my imagery is good! That's always nice to hear. And yes, you are super behind, I don't think I've seen hide nor hair of a comment from you in two weeks to a whole month. (Unless the app and updates are messing up again, which is very possible.)

Welp. That's all I've got! Hope you enjoyed, no guarantee when another chapter will be out! Also, to the few people reading this, please comment! I try to better my work as I go along, and I frequently make changes and updates to posted chapters; plus hearing from you gives me a boost to keep writing!

So long Lovies!


	7. What If?

It took the group two days to reach the old mystery shack. By the time they actually reached it, each felt like they would collapse if they had to walk another mile; but still all six nearly cried upon seeing the collapsing building.

"Yes!" Dipper whooped. "It's in shambles! Just like we left it!"

Wendy sighed. "I think this is the first time I've ever been happy to come to work!"

They all rushed to the Shack, Mabel speed rambling, "hello house! Hello porch! Hello wads of gum I left stuck to the couch!" She clambered on top of the disgusting furniture to count each wad of gum and make sure all were still in place.

Dipper reached for the door handle, but suddenly stopped: there was rustling and muffled voices coming from inside. He stepped back. Dipper grabbed an abandoned golf club, Wendy readied her cross bow, Mabel cocked her grappling hook, and Soos, Grenda, and Cendy all cracked their knuckles, ready to fight. The six burst through the front door, yelling maniacally.

They were greeted by equally maniacal yelling. The people screaming in turn were led by none other than... "Grunkle Stan!"

Dipper and Mabel threw their weapons aside and rushed the old man, who threw away his own bat to hug them tightly. "I thought I lost you two!" No one saw fit to mention how close he sounded to tears. Instead Soos and Wendy tackled his as well: Candy and Grenda went over to stand by Pacifica, the only other person there that they knew. Stan eventually chuckled, and shrugged everyone off of him. "It's good to see you knuckle heads too. You all really had me worried."

"But seriously, what are you all doing together?" Dipper could hardly imagine that all these warring factors and people in gravity falls could get along for even five minutes, let alone over a week.

Mabel chipped in. "Yeah, there are monsters, and gnomes, and is Pacifica wearing a potato sack?"

"Hey, even in this sack I look better than you!"

The main head of the Mulitbear sighed. "It's... it's a long story..."

He would have continued, but there was a sudden shout at the door, a manotaur warning of an eyebat. The people scattered, ducking into corners and blowing out lanterns: Stan covered Dipper and Mabel automatically while Soos scooped up Candy and the Mulitbear picked up Grenda. Total silence fell. The rhythmic thumping of the eyebat's wings was all that could be heard, until a squeak from an unfortunate forest animal alerted them that it had found other prey. Still, the refugees waited several more minutes.

At last, a match was struck and the Shack filled with light once more. The state of the people inside was depressing to say the least: the sev'ral timez boys were covered in bandages and casts, a gnome was half solidified into stone, Toby was getting darts pulled out, and there fallen faces everywhere one looked.

Stan took up the explanation. "I had been hammering up signs out back when Dipper and my brother rushed out, telling me you had gone missing and were in danger." Mabel bit her tounge, rubbing her arm and looking down. Stan continued on as before. "Then all the weirdness started up: I listen to a lot of AM radio, so I instantly knew what this was. The end of the world. I rushed inside, fully thinking that this was it and that I'd never get to see you all again. But it turns out that whatever my brother did to the house seems to have weirdness proofed it."

Dipper wanted to smack his forehead. "Of course, the unicorn spell! This would be the only place Bill's magic can't touch!"

"Yeah, that's when possum-breath over here shows up with a bunch of stragglers: they needed a place to stay, and, since the mayor got captured, I elected myself defacto chief. The plan is to stay in here and eat browned meat in a can; then I vote we eat the gnomes."

"But, Grunkle Stan, we can't just hide in here forever! There's a town in need of saving: me and Ford tried to, but he got turned into a gold statue." Dipper hung his head, still ashamed over his failure.

Stan however wasn't hearing it. "Serves that jerk right. My brother's had some stupid plans, but going up against an all powerful space-demon was his worse one yet! Trust me, we have everything we need right here. It may not be the best thing in the world, but at least the monsters in here know how to give a massage."

Mabel bit her lip as Dipper stepped up to confront Grunkle Stan.

If going up against Bill was stupid, than she was even worse. She had thrown reason out the window and let herself get in close to somebody who was the bad guy, letting herself get manipulated into starting his weirdmageddon. She had called him a friend. She had even made a statue of their friendship.

She was the real failure.

Mabel was just about to lock herself away in another room when Stan's hand fell on the remote and clicked on the news.

What came up shocked the whole room into silence. All of the inhabitants of the town had been turned to stone and assembled into a strange throne of sorts. The Northwest adults, Wendy's family, everyone-- they all were stone.

And it was all her fault.

Mabel bit her lip again and turned away. She was barely listening as her brother and Stan started arguing again. Surely, the survivors would kick her out for being the one responsible and bringing about all this destruction: she couldn't tell them.

Giving herself a small shake, Mabel stood shoulder to shoulder with her brother, pouring out an inspirational message/pep talk to the survivors that she wasn't entirely sure she believed. They called upon the genius of McGucket to build them a robot from the house. Each person present (save Stan) jumped at the opportunity to do something against Bill. It took them three days to build the machine: it would have been done faster if it hadn't been for frequent eye-bat patrols.

All the while Mabel had been forcing an air of cheeriness and hope, but inside she was terrified of meeting Bill again. Would he trick her again? Had he done something to her so he could easily control her? What if she hadn't really escaped and everything she had been doing was more of her hallucination?

What if, what if, what if?

She hadn't been sleeping much due to the questions bouncing around in her head. Forcing herself to keep her optimism up, she gave her sweaters and knitted extras for everyone whenever the nights dragged on too long and she couldn't sleep. She passed them around on the last night before they attacked.

Looking to the side, Mabel could see Stan hunched over a lonely fire, accompanied only by Shmebulock. He'd been awfully bitter since getting effectively usurped from his position of power. Her heart twanged at the sight: she wanted nothing more than to rush over and give him a hug, but she was stopped by one of the manotaurs ripping his sweater again. Feeling her spirit droop, she walked over to sew it back up.

That night, Dipper asked her if she was ok. He frowned when her cheery facade returned. "Mabel, I mean it. Bill's hurt all of us, but right now he's hurt you the most."

She let the facade fall away. In a tiny voice, she whispered, "I don't know. What if he's done something to me that we don't realize? I mean..." she sat up, looking at Dipper. "Would it be weird if I said that I can sorta sense where he's at and what he's doing? Like right now, he's... I think... in the main chamber of his castle... and he's feeling both delighted in a sick way and incredibly angry." Dipper was staring at her, wide-eyed. She took in his expression and cringed. "I knew ittttt," she moaned, "it's not normal! He's done something to meeeee!" She flopped over in despair.

Dipper swallowed hard. Mabel was always the optimist, but right now she had been struggling to keep herself truly happy and hopeful, which meant that he now had to. He padded over to her bed and sat down beside her. "Hey. Maybe it's just some kind of after effect from staying in a bubble of his magic for so long? I mean, neither of us exactly understand how magic works, so perhaps that's just it? Tell you what!" He lightly knocked her on the shoulder. "We'll ask Great Uncle Ford about it when we save him, cool?"

Mabel turned her head from where she had buried it in a pillow. Slowly, with a little spark of hope, she smiled. The two bumped fists to seal the promise.

Elsewhere, Bill floated off from his torture of Ford, leaving the scientist to his maniacs. They needed some fun after he had lost his temper when Mabel escaped. He could still hear how they had screamed and ran in terror as he used them for an anger outlet.

He really needed better control of his temper. It would do him no good to push them so far that they tried to revolt or the like. Of course, Bill had no doubt that they would turn against him sooner or later: eventually they would get bored of their corners of this universe and try to take others', then he would have to intervene, then they would get mad after he did that for a certain amount of times, then they'd scheme together, and so on and so forth. Maybe when his reign was properly established he'd just kill them all to get it over with.

No... they were more fun to poke around for the time being.

He snickered as he heard Ford yell in pain. "Don't kill him now!" He shouted over his shoulder tauntingly. Bill floated through the corridors of his fear-ramid until he found another window outside.

Bill looked out into a sea of houses and forest, out to where he knew the Mystery Shack sat. He could barely detect Mabel's magic: he remembered that Ford had installed a magical barrier to keep him out. Bill wasn't sure what their plan was, but he could guess it involved bringing a battle to his front door.

He'd allow it. It'll be fun to see what they have dreamed up.

And when he's slaughtered them, he'll take Mabel or her magic: one way or another.

He was patient.

A/N

So this is rather short for so long of a break, but at least its it's done. Plus, I'm planning on next chapter to be most, if not all, of the fighting, so it'll be pretty big to make up for this chapter.

And things are heating up! Very slowly. Has Bill placed a spell on Mabel, or is Mab starting to use her magic without knowing?

Comments!

Only Ilovebooks1234! You are totally right. The majority of MaBill fics are either rushed, not explained, horribly dark, or some combination of the three. I am trying to avoid that, and while I wouldn't call this a slow burn, it is going to take quite some time and I feel it's a much more realistic path. (Of course however, when ever you're writing a ship fic with a villain, you gotta have some darkness. That doesnt mean you have to make it awful.) Idk tho. Hope my writing continues to impress!

And that's about all I have to say! I have no idea when the next chapter will come out as fighting is the bane of my existence, and there is going to be a certain point of deviation; which means I'll be forced to come up with it all on my own.

So long Lovies! Stay safe out there!


	8. The Fight

The day was finally here. The robot they had created from the house (nicknamed the Shacktron by Soos,) was marching steadily towards Bill's Fearamid. The few citizens turned scavengers that hadn't found refuge in the Shack watched in awe as the robot stomped on by.

The warriors inside the Shacktron could hear screaming and yelling from inside the Fearamid; and the voice sounded awfully similar to Great Uncle Ford. Dipper and Mabel growled. With a clear order, one arm of the robot (the head of a living Trex) burst through the "door" of the Fearamid with an ear-splitting roar.

Bill whipped around, his one eye wide with both anger and shock. He screamed something about his door, but no one was listening.

Soos stepped out on to the platform waving a flag. "It's the Shacktron dudes!" He still sounded way too pleased with the name.

Bill settled into his throne. He knew this was coming, he'd sensed it, but, "I gotta give you credit. You guys got to this a lot faster than I anticipated. Henchmaniacs!" The group of minions instinctively flinched: they'd been the prey to Bill's anger for the past few days, and once you start getting scared of his raised voice, you can't really recover. With a snap of his fingers they grew large, filling the whole room. "You know what to do! **_Take! Them! Out!_**"

Glad for an excuse to cause havoc and pay pain for pain, the six monsters rushed to the broken door and readied for battle. It was hard to tell if the Shacktron and its operators were ready for battle, or if they were just extremely lucky. It was a group effort. There were calls on all sides, warning of incoming attacks. Grenda was in charge of the dinosaur arm and Candy the robotic arm: McGucket was controlling the Gobblewonker head with all four limbs and his beard. Wendy and Rumble McSkirmish were on the roof, doing their part with hand-to-hand combat. Mabel used Waddles to fire a cannon made from the totem pole even though she could have easily just pulled the level herself.

The Shacktron's test of strength came when the giant loaf looking monster wearing a party hat (named Zanthar, if they were remembering correctly,) rammed the robotic house. The Shack was pushed further and further back. By some miracle however, it stayed on its feet and eventually summoned enough strength to come to a standstill with the monster. Mabel screamed into a microphone for maximum power.

Finding grip on the beast's oddly rectangular sides, the Shacktron hefted Zanthar into a spin. The monster was lobbed into the distance, its scream fading as it flew farther and farther away.

Bill sighed and rubbed his eye. "Seriously guys? You have one job."

He unconsciously dropped Ford from his chains. The man whooped, knowing it was his grand nephew commanding that monstrosity of a robot. "Bravo Dipper! I knew you could do it!"

Bill's eye widened.

Ohhhhh, oh this was too good to be true. Fordsy still didn't see the truth about Mabel. Bill could tell just by looking at that robot that it wasn't Pinetree leading, but good old Shooting Star. He snickered. "Well would'ja look at that! Those _two_ kids," he emphasized the 'two', "really care about you huh?" He turned around to face Ford. "And you care about them, **don't you**?" His voice turned deep and sinister as his eye glowed red.

Ford paled. He opened his mouth to protest or even beg that Bill didn't do anything to harm them, but Bill didn't give him the choice. He snapped his fingers and Ford turned to gold once again. "Perhaps torturing those kids will make you talk.

Bill popped out of his Fearamid, massive and very angry. He raised one hulking hand over his head, fixed his bowtie just to show how beneath him they were, and then attacked, slamming his hand down to crush the Shack. There was a massive explosion of energy. Trees bent over backwards and rubble was thrown into the air. Bill raised his hand, ready to fish out and revive the smushed forms of Ford's pathetic family.

But the Shack was still standing.

"**_W H A T?!_**_ NO! NO NO NO NO!_" Bill grew six more arms and began pummeling the Shacktron viciously, growing more and more angry with each hit that was deflected off of the magical barrier. He could just manage to see in through the giant window.

There was Shooting Star, standing at the front, trying to hide how much she was shaking just to see him. She pointed him and yelled something. Though Bill couldn't hear her, he could make out what she was saying. "Attack!"

Attack what? Him? Didn't little Star know that they could never truly harm him? What was her-

The dinosaur arm shot out and Bill saw what she meant. Its sharp teeth chomped down on his eye and, with a hard tug, pulled it right out of his one socket. Who attacks people's eyes?! That is generally seen as one of the lowest moves! Especially for someone who's eye is their only facial feature!

Dipper and Mabel whooped. "We've got him distracted! Let's go! Now's our chance!" The rescue team dashed off for their weapons and gear before they all ducked into their own tube to be fired off into a battle field. "Okay gang. We get in, rescue Ford, get out, save the world. Piece of cake."

"Just so we're clear, if I die, I'm suing all of you." Pacifica muttered to hide her true feeling of absalute horror.

Grunckle Stan had other ideas. "On second thought, maybe we could come up with a plan that doesnt involve us plummeting to our certain death?"

"NOW!"

Wendy slammed her hand down on a button and they all were sucked upwards into into their shutes and were rocketed out into the open air. They flew right over Bill's head as the Shack began its assault once again. Mabel rolled in mid-air, laughing wildly. The landing was rough, but they all made it safely inside the horrible Fearamid.

Bill's human throne looked even worse in person. The crappy television screen didn't properly capture the horrific nature of the throne.

Mabel zoomed up onto the throne with her grappling hook. "I found Great Uncle Ford!" She called down to the group of survivors. "He's golden! But not in the good way!" Mabel tossed her grappling hook back down to her team: Dipper caught it and flew up himself, calling to see if she knew a way to unfreeze them.

"I know!"

Never had the younger pines twins thought they would be even remotely happy to hear Gideon's annoying voice. He was dressed up in a sparkly colonial style outfit, dancing uncontrollably. "Gideon," Mabel whispered, actually feeling sorry for the creep, "what happened to you?"

"Bill's doomed me to do cute dances for all of eternity!" He began sobbing cartoonishly. "I'm so tired of being cuuuute."

"How do we unfreeze them?" Dipper was wasting none of his time with Gideon's pity party.

"Mayor Tyler. He's the load bearer. Pull him out and they'll all come down."

Dipper did just that, and, true to Gideon's word, they all came crashing down in a massive and impressive heap. Gideon's cage was knocked loose and he fell to the floor as well. Families hugged each other, holding their loved ones close.

Ford, also unfrozen by some plot-armor type miracle, rushed Dipper and Mabel for a hug of his own, scooping them up and cheering "I knew I could count on you two! Haha!" Fiddleford McGucket hobbled over to the three. Ford stilled and set the kids down. "Fiddleford? I haven't seen you since we parted ways... you must hate me..."

McGucket didn't answer immediately. He looked down at his own feet, murmuring "I've tried forgetin'. Maybe its time I tried forgivin'." He looked up and smiled wide at Ford. "C'mere old pal!"

Grunkle Stan watched the reunions with a blank face. "'Ey nice to see you too bro. Now would'ja mind movin'? We gotta get outta here."

Dipper nodded, taking over. "Grunkle Stan is right: we don't have much time Great Uncle Ford. Remember right before Bill took you? You said that you knew Bill's weakness."

"Yeah, a secret way to defeat him?"

Ford did indeed know, and with a quickly spray-painted circle on the floor, he gave the answer. The circle had an inner ring of ten symbols, with Bill in the very center. "The world's most confusing game of hopscotch?" Pacifica snarked.

"No. Though it would make a very fun game of hopscotch... No, this is a prophecy. Many years ago I came across this symbol with these ten symbols: some I recognized then, some I only recognize now. The native people of Gravity Falls prophesied that these symbols could create a force strong enough to vanquish Bill. With Bill defeated, his weirdness could be reversed and the town could be saved." Ford stepped onto his own symbol, a six fingered hand. "All this time I thought it was just superstition, but now I see that it was destiny! Dipper: the pine tree."

Dipper stepped onto his symbol in awe.

"Mabel: the shooting star." She copied her brother.

Soos was inspecting another symbol. "A question mark... this one's unsolvable!" Someone gave him a gentle nudge into the space.

Wendy shoved Robbie onto a symbol of a stitched up heart. "That one's easy. You've been rocking that dumb hoodie since the seventh grade!"

"Woah... destiny hoodie!"

The tent of telepathy sign! That must be Gideon!"

"Whoo! An excuse to stand next to Mabel," he cooed, suddenly once again perfectly fine with being cute.

She did not look pleased by this turn of events. "Just... don't turn this into a big deal."

"Oh I won't, I won't!" He turned away and excitedly whispered, "I _will_!"

Outside Bill was being pummeled by the Shacktron. He was marginally glad that his minions couldn't see how humiliating this was. But it was just a matter of time. He knew his work and his profecy: this robot couldn't destroy him, but if he didn't get a move on, the survivors inside could.

As Bill was knocked onto his back, one hand landed on the robot's foot; not by it, ON it. It took him a moment to process this, but then he was filled with a surge of manic glee.

Bill thre the Shack off of him. "Hey Achilles!" He could never resist a good taunt. "Nice job with the heel!" With a hard tug he removed the leg right out of its socket. Lifting the disembodied leg, he screamed "FOUR" and batted the Shack like it was a little golf ball.

At that moment dark clouds began gathering around the tip of the Fearamid. He was running out of time. But if he left the Shack behind now, it could still cause problems, so the survivors would just have to wait another 30 seconds.

The only one out of the circle was Stanley. "Ya realize that this is a bunch'a hogwash, right? You really think some kind of cave man graffiti is gonna stop that monster?" Several people raised their voices at him, pushing him to join. "Woah hey, I'm not the enemy here people. Don't forget who literally brought about the end of the world."

Mabel flinched, but Stan was pointing at his brother. "I'm sorry Stanley, I know! Just... help me fix it, please!"

"Fine. On one condition. Say, thank you."

Ford blanched, disbelieving that Stan was still going on about this. "What?"

Stan put a finger in Ford's face. The look in his eyes screamed that if Ford didn't say "thank you", he would walk out right then and there. "I spent 30 years tryin' ta bring you back into his dimension, learning all your sciencey crap by myself, and you still haven't thanked me! You want me to shake your hand? Say thank you!"

There was a tense pause.

"Fine." Ford huffed and looked away. "Thank you Stanley."

"Ah, see?" Stan didn't neccesarily seem pleased, but he was pacified nevertheless. He jerked on Soos's hand, mumbling, "between me and him I'm not always the worse twin."

"'Between him and me'." The temperature dropped. No one dared to say a word as they watched on in utter shock. "Grammar, Stanley."

"I'LL GRAMMAR STANLEY YOU!"

Stan broke the circle to attack his brother, who also broke the circle to defend himself. Then Mabel and Dipper broke the circle to break up the fight. Their efforts were for nothing however: two grown men turned fighters were not about to be broken up by two young pre-teens. Those who remained in their places in the circle raised their voices for the two to stop.

But then they all got quiet, Stan and Ford freezing where they stood with their hands at each other's necks.

Bill was hovering before the doorway, twirling the totem pole of the Shack in his hand. In one millisecond, Bill glanced at Mabel and something flashed in his look: anger? Or greed? She couldn't tell. But then he was laughing scornfully, back to being the mocking enemy. "Oh-ho-ho-ho! This is just TOO perfect! Didn't you brainiacs know that the zodiac doesn't work if you don't all hold hands?" Ford and Stan shared a guilty look. "And what's more, you just brought every threat to my power together in one easy to destroy circle!"

Bill threw out his hands and fire erupted out from them, making the zodiac and several people's hair burn. He tied up Ford and Stan. "You two wanna see what happens when you can't get along?"

"Hey! Give them back!"

"You've gone too far Cipher!"

"Yeah, we're not scared of you!" Fiddleford, Gideon, and Wendy all brandished their weapons or fists, growling.

"Oh, but you should be." Bill snapped his fingers. The three that spoke up against him, Robbie, Pacifica, and Soos all shuddered; then their eyes turned golden with snake-like slits and rolled up into their skulls. They floated above the ground. "Y'know," Bill continued, his booming voice filled with malice, "the place could really use some **_decoration_**!"

With another snap of his fingers, the six were turned into morbid tapestries. They hung from the ceiling, each face twisted and screaming in either fear or terror with their hands raised to break free or protect themselves.

"Looks like it's too late for your friends Stanford." Bill pointed to the younger Pines twins. A blue pyramid of a cage rose up around them, keeping them trapped. "But you can still save your family! Tell me how to take Weirdmageddon global and I'll spare the kids."

Dipper struggled with the cage wall, trying to tug it loose. "No! Don't do it!"

Mabel joined in with a taunting, "Yeah! Bill makes bad deals!"

Bill's eye twitched and he rounded on the two kids. "Oh that's rich Shooting Star! You didn't seem to think the same when it involved your little problems and your pathetic view of summer was on the line!"

Mabel flinched, but stood up straighter. "And I was wrong! And you're a dummy!" She raised the can of spray paint quick as a flash and sprayed him right in the eye. Bill lurched back, screaming about his eye for the second time in five minutes.

"Nice job Pumpkin!" Stan cheered. He then yelped in alarm as Bill (having lost his concentration,)dropped the hands holding him and Ford aloft.

Mabel was proud of herself. She'd finally stood up to Bill. "I know that hurts because I've accidentally done it to myself! Multiple times!" Dipper smirked. He stepped in front of Mabel and brandished the size-altering flashlight, his arm stretched out and covering her chest: she liked to think he was holding her back when he did that, making sure she didn't take all the glory of whooping Bill's triangle butt for herself. In a flash the cage was large enough for them to crawl through.

"Save yourselves! Run! We'll take care of Bill!"

Both Ford's and Stan's jaws dropped. "What?! Dipper you can't be serious, that's a suicide mission!"

"Trust us!" Dipper grabbed Mabel's hand and began dashing off with her. "We've beaten him before and we'll do it again!"

The two older twins simultaneously moved to rush after the kids, but they didn't get one step in before an invisible force held them back in a chokehold. "Not so fast." Bill just sounded more tired and irritated than angry at this point. "You two wait here. I've got some children to make into corpses." His form changed. He turned primarily red, with six golden arms and black swollen tounges lolling from his open sides. He raised another cage around the two. Peeking into it like a schoolgirl peeking into a tank of fish, head in an unearthly voice "**_see ya real soon!_**" With a snap of his fingers, the memory gun, Ford's interdimensional lazer gun, and Stan's brass knuckles all flew into the air. The three items dissolved before their very eyes. "Just in case you get any funny ideas."

With that, Bill crawled away on all eight limbs with amazing speed, crawling sideways and even upside down. The two older men were quickly falling into despair and panic, reduced to banging their hands on the unbreakable barrier.

Meanwhile, Mabel and Dipper were running for their very lives. They ducked through corridors at sharp angles, grappled up vertical columns, and took as many twisting turns as they could. All the while, they were trying to ignore Bill's screams of rage. He was breaking through the support columns of the Fearamid in his rage, but that didn't seem to be having any effect on the structural integrity of the building.

Mabel and Dipper threw taunts back at him: mostly just to relive some of the fear and stress. He wasn't taking too kindly to that.

Back in the main room, Ford and Stan slumped in miserable defeat. Ford didn't think he had ever seen Stan look so heartbroken and distraught. "I can't believe it!" Even his voice sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "The kids are gonna die and it's all my fault! Just because I couldn't shake your stupid hand!" He sunk to his knees. "Dad was right about me. I am just a screw up."

Ford felt his normally hardened heart towards his brother turn to mush at the sight: he'd never really seen through his anger at Stan just how much his twin cared for those twins: when Stan had been the only one of them present, Dipper and Mabel had gotten into a few scrapes, but had emerged unscathed; then Ford had come around. Sure, his returne was, entirely, Stanley's fault, but Stan had just been doing what he always did: protect people. (When he wasn't busy scamming them, that is.) Ford sighed and sunk down onto the floor by his brother. "Ahh, don't blame yourself. I'm the one who made a deal with him in the first place. I fell for all his easy flattery. You would have seen him for the scam artist he is." He took a long drink from a flask and handed it to Stan.

Stan took it. "How did things get so messed up between us?" He took a drink himself: what he swallowed... wasn't water, to say the least. "And since when did you start drinking alcohol, Mr. 'I-only-drink-what's-healthy'?"

Ford chuckled through a sigh. "It's modified to be perfectly healthy. It'll also repair you kidneys. (Plus I like the flavor.) And, to answer your first question, we used to once be like the kids. They're facing certain death and still they trust each other." He looked to Stan, as if he could truly give him answers. "How do they do it?"

"Easy: they're kids. They don't know any better." Stan looked up as Ford suddenly stood. There was an unsettling determination in his eyes. "Woah, where're you goin'?"

"I'm going to play the only trick we have left. I'm going to let Bill back into my mind. He'll be able to take over the galaxy, and maybe even the universe, but at least he might let you and the kids free."

Stan leapt to his feet. "WHAT?! Are you kidding me?! Are you seriously telling me there is nothing else we can do?! No way to fight him?!"

Ford opened his jacket. "Well, if I had it my way, I would let him in and then we could erase him out with the memory gun. But he destroyed the gun and I have long since had a metal plate installed in my head." He tapped the side of his head to prove his point.

As his jacket was moved however, one tiny little item tumbled out of a pocket: it had been jostled loose by all the torture and movement from earlier. It was a small little gun, very similar to a modern day handgun.

Stan and Ford looked at the gun, then to each other. An unspoken idea popped in their minds at the same time: Ford accepted it with a soldier stoic nature, but Stan...

However, at that moment, Mabel's and Dippers' luck seemed to have finally run out. Bill's footsteps could be heard booming up to the front room. Ford scrambled and pressed the small gun into his brother's hands and turned to face Bill as he squeezed himself in through the door.

"Alright Ford! Time's up!" Bill raised his fist up high, showing the struggling Mabel and Dipper inside. "I've got the kids!" He sounded sickly happy about the fact. "I think I'm gonna kill one of them, just for the heck of it!"

His eye flashed a glowing red image of the pine tree. "**EENIE**!"

His eye flashed the shooting star. "**MEENIE**!

Back to the pine tree. "**MINEY**!" Mabel and Dipper turned around to face their certain death. He was desperately trying to cover his sister, as if his body could protect her.

Bill raised his free hand, eye flashing the damning shooting star symbol, ready to snap his fingers as he bellowed "**_YOU_**!"

"_WAIT_!"

Bill paused. He looked to Ford. "I surrender!"

If he could have, Bill would have smirked. "Good choice." He unceremoniously dropped Dipper and Mabel. In the back of his mind he wondered himself if he would have actually killed Shooting Star; but he didn't really care.

Stan grabbed Ford and shook him, as if trying to shake common sense into him. There was something strained in his voice that Bill didn't quite understand. "Don't do it Ford! It'll destroy the universe!"

"It's the only way!"

Bill cackled. "Oh, even in the face of certain doom you Pines twins just can't get along!" He snapped his fingers, dissolving the cage and tying up Stan.

"My only condition, you let the kids and my brother go free."

Bill scowled. "Fine." Technically Mabel would "go free" if she didn't even know that he was taking her magic. He could just make up another lie about how he was removing a curse of his or whatever from her.

"No! Grunkle Ford, don't trust him!" Dipper yelled.

Mabel was struck silent, unable to say a word. It was as if she was perceiving reality with her head underwater. She watched, not hearing it nor comprehending, as Bill extended his lit hand for a deal; as Ford slowly, cringing as he did so, reached forward and shook the spindly arm; as Bill turned into a statue; as his ethereal form cackled, rubbed his hands, and zoomed right into her Great Uncle Ford.

The room fell silent. Dipper was struggling to find the strength in him to stand, though he didn't know what to do. Mabel was frozen on the floor. Stan was...

Stanley Pines was crying. Almost sobbing like a child, he reached into his suit and he pulled out the tiny little hand gun.

Dipper's and Mabel's eyes went wide, and he stopped struggling.

They watched as, with a trembling hand, Stanley raised the gun and pointed it on his brother.

He screwed his eyes shut and with one more sob, pulled the trigger.

Stanford Filbrick Pines fell over dead.

(No A/N, for "oomf")


	9. A First Time for Everything

Mabel watched the body of her Great Uncle Ford crumple to the ground. She wasn't fully aware of anything that was happening. Dipper finally found his feet and ran to Stan, screaming something Mabel couldn't make out: he might have even been weekly trying to attack Stan, but Mabel didn't see. The ground beneath them was crumbling as the weirdness infecting Gravity Falls disintegrated with its creator, but she couldn't feel anything.

Ford couldn't be dead... he just couldn't be. He had survived thirty years across dimensions, evading Bill and interdimensional police. What he had been shot with just knocked him unconscious, that was all. He wasn't dead, and Stan didn't kill him.

Mabel crawled forward on her hands and knees. She reached out to Ford, meaning to turn him around so she could see his face and assure herself that he was alright.

Stan's hand closed around her wrist, gently pushing it away. "Don't look at it Pumpkin," he said, not knowing she couldn't hear. "Don't look."

Dipper snatched her hand out of Stan's, stepping between her and their great uncle. "DON'T TOUCH HER!" He screamed, equally unaware that all Mabel could hear was a rushing in her ears. "Don't you dare ever come near either of us ever again!"

"Dipper please-"

But Dipper wouldn't listen. He began yelling again, still standing between Mabel and Stan. He screamed and Stan begged, and neither noticed Mabel.

She was doubled over, on her elbows and knees, clutching her forehead like it was about to split. Her mind was screaming at her: she had never felt pain like this before and it was tearing through her brain and leaving only shreds behind. But even still she could barely recognize the pain she was feeling: all she knew was that this hadn't been what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to save the day, defeat Bill, and no one was supposed to die!

She hadn't wanted this to happen!

She wanted to go back!

She could fix this, she was sure of it!

Why couldn't she just go back and fix everything?!

Dipper and Stan were suddenly blown away by a sudden gust of power and wind. They tumbled away from both Mabel and the body of Ford. When they stabilized themselves, what they saw shocked them dumb.

Mabel was on her hands and knees. Wind was whipping around her, picking up loose debris and turning her into a human tornado. Light was pouring from her eyes that were flashing every single color in existence, even the ones humans can't see. The air sparkled around her. She was screaming now, and it carried over the sounds of her own personal sparkly havoc. The edges of their vision began to turn white, and that white started creeping forward to the center of their vision.

Dipper and Stan tried desperately to call, but their voices could not be heard. All they could do was watch as their vision turned a pure white.

* * *

Mabel wasn't sure where she was. She couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed or if what she was seeing was black or white.

But she could finally hear. There was a kind feminine voice speaking to her. "Little Shooting Star, you don't know what you're doing or what you're asking for, do you?"

Mabel couldn't respond. The voice continued, as if it hadn't been expecting response. "You want to fix this tragedy, do you not?"

Yes! Mabel did! She wanted to fix all of this so badly she felt that if she could right then she would cry. The voice seemed to sense this. "That's quite the wish. And you still have no idea what you have begun." Finally, Mabel could see a face to the voice. It was a Lizard or gecko looking thing, pink and with its tongue out in a little blep. "Very well. I shall allow you to take your second chance as you wish; but, just one more chance. No one should meddle with time, as you well know."

The world blurred into a sickening swirl of colors. The voice echoed its last words of "one chance," and then dissapeared.

Mabel didn't know what was happening. Images flashed before her eyes: some she recognized and tried to reach out and grab them, hold them to her chest and never let go. Most evaded her, spinning away and disappearing.

But she grabbed one. Mabel wasn't quite sure what she had grabbed but she held onto it like it was her life line as she felt her body begin disappearing like the other items. Panicking, she shoved the mystery item down her sweater and balled herself around it.

Finally, she popped out of existence in the nothingness world.

* * *

\-- the day before the attack --

Mabel jerked on her rough log by the campfire. She was disoriented, blinking rapidly. There was the resistance group, all sitting around a large campfire, looking at her: she must have dozed off and had a funny dream or something.

It was weird though. She was getting a very strong sense of Deja'vu.

"Uhh, Mabel? You good?" Dipper asked, giving her a small nudge.

She looked at him. With a large smile, she said, "yeah, I must have just dozed off and had a weird dream. I'm totally- AUGH!" Mabel's hands flew the sides of her head as a massive headache suddenly knocked the wind out of her lungs.

"Mabel!" Several voices cried out at once. Multiple hands were steadying her, rambling in her ear questions on if she was well.

"Back off! Give her room!" That was Grunkle Stan, barging his way to her through the crowd and holding her gently at arms length. "Pumpkin? What's wrong?"

She looked at him through bleary crying eyes. Mabel felt like there was something important she was supposed to be remembering about him: or, maybe she was supposed to be remembering something about Ford? They were identical twins after all, it was easy to get them mixed up.

Her headache spiked as she tried to remember. She shook her head. "My head... it feels like I'm gonna explode..."

Stan looked to Dipper. "Got anything for this braniac?"

Dipper was chewing his lip. He wished he still had the journals so he could see if there was potentially any cure in there, but Bill had burned all three up. Bill... his eyes widened. "Maybe Bill's doing something: everyone into the Shack!"

People scrambled to extinguish the campfire, grab their belongings, and rush inside. Stan swept Mabel and Dipper into his arms and bolted inside himself, securing every lock on the door.

The magical barrier helped slightly, but Mabel's head was still pounding: at least now she could see. When asked if it was any better, she made a so-so motion with her hand. Dipper chewed his lip again. "Let's try getting you some painkillers and a dark room. Maybe some sleep will help. I'll try to remember anything that was in the journal that could help."

"Fairy dust helps me with migraines," a gnome piped up helpfully.

"Do ya have any." Grunkle Stan was glaring down at the little man, knowing full well he did not.

"... no."

"Then shush ya face before I decide to accelerate the plan of eating you."

Stan carried Mabel up the stairs to the attic, Dipper and Waddles following close behind. Sure the attic had been remodeled as the main control room, but space was made for a bedroll. Mabel was tucked in gently.

Already she felt sleep demanding to take her over. Her eyes drooped and she let out a yawn as Waddles padded over and curled up beside her. Stan hummed in satisfaction. He rubbed Dipper on the head. "Make sure you get some sleep too now. And if anything starts going south with her, come get me _IMMEDIATELY_. Got it?"

Dipper nodded. "Sure thing Grunkle Stan."

He nodded back. "Sleep tight Pumpkin. Feel better tommorow."

Before he could leave, Mabel found her voice. "Grunkle Stan?" He halted in the doorway, then turned and looked back at her. She swallowed. What did she even want to say? What was she supposed to be remembering about him?

"I love you."

Stan sagged. He gave a weary smile. "Aww, I love ya two knuckleheads too. How else could I have put up with ya nonsense for a whole summer?"

"Promise you'll really help in the fight tommorow? That you'll help us save Grunkle Ford and defeat Bill?"

He paused for a split second. "Of course," he said, his voice slightly strained. "After all, I don't wanna be known as the man who doomed the world because he was mad at his brother. Now go to sleep Pumpkin. I'll see you tomorrow."

Mabel nodded, rolled over, and fainted dead away. None of them noticed the odd bump of the memory gun in her sweater.

* * *

Elsewhere, in the Fearamid, Bill and his henchmaniacs were experiencing similar problems to Mabel. The maniacs were in a much lighter degree with their splitting headaches; but Bill was screaming and clutching his little triangle head. Every pain he'd ever felt, every fear, every drop of loathing and insanity and his loneliness and pain-oh-so-much-pain-he-couldn't-stand-it slammed into him in full force, knocking him to the ground and leaving him writhing there. Ford looked on in confusion, wondering why they all were suddenly incapacitated.

Pyronica was the first to recover. "Boss!" She squealed, not wanting to go near him but also half wanting to try and help him. "Boss what-"

She was cut off as Bill screamed again, louder this time. With a violent burst of magic, he cut off the pain in his mind and sat there, recollecting himself. His eye was flashing images: he was trying to pinpoint what had just happened.

A strong and reckless use of magic had just been done, to be sure, but neither he nor the maniacs had done anything of the sort. Then who...

Bill's one eye widened in horror.

There was only one person with that level of magic who could and would interfere with his chaos: someone who must have seen something horrible and desperately tried to go back to fix it. Only one person aside from the AXOLOTL itself or Bill himself had magic so potent.

For the second time that week, the henchmaniacs and Ford became the unfortunate victims of Bill's temper as he raged. He repaired them as soon as he destroyed them, only to then destroy them once again, ripping them apart molecule by molecule. His temper got so out of control that he even destroyed and rebuilt his Fearamid.

It didn't matter to him. All he could think was that he'd failed.

Mabel had discovered her magic.

* * *

A/N

Welp Dee Doo Dah. Didja really think I was gonna keep Ford dead? Nahhh, he's too awesome. And I especially wasn't gonna keep him dead with Stan killing him. That's just not cool.

This isn't the longest chapter, but if I added the second fight sequence it'd be quite long, so better to just skip that I say. Also if it wasn't made totally clear, Mabel re-wound time, and that being who was talking to her was the AXOLOTL. And despite what Bill thinks, Mabel doesn't remember and hasn't actually (yet) realized she has magic.

And if anyone is wondering how this will ever turn out to be a MaBill fanfic when right now she's traumatized and he's completely off his rocker... trust me. I have a plan, and it's a semi-decent one.

Now, comments!

Guest, as always, glad you like this. And glad to hear that my imagery is good! (I've been hearing that a lot lately, but it's still so awesome to hear.)

Vix.Right, again, glad to know my imagery is good. And I'm am also SUPER glad you think so highly of this. And I ain't gonna rush anything (intentionally.) I plan to take my time with this.

Well that just about sums this up! Be prepared for fight #2 next chapter!

So long Lovies!


	10. Let's Try This Again

The deja-vu feeling never left Mabel as they prepared for the fight against Bill. She felt like they had already stomped their way magnificently across the wrecked plains of Gravity Falls: felt like they had already heard Soos triumphantly call out the Shacktron's name: like they had already gotten mad at Ford's screams and yells of pain: they had already smashsed into the Fearamid before: had already listened to Bill taunts: already fought the Henchmaniacs. But it all still felt off. It was like her senses had been heightened. Mabel called shots and attacks before they happened. The henchmaniacs were by no means an easy fight, but the fight was quickly resolved nonetheless.

Mabel didn't understand what she was feeling yet, but she was counting her lucky stars that it seemed to be helping.

Bill wasn't fooled. He could almost smell the after-effects of her magic saturated on her. Whatever she had done, it had been powerful; which was quite impressive for a newbie. But the question remained of what HAD she done? Bill didn't know, and, judging by the glimpses of her bewildered yet determined face, she didn't know either.

Interesting.

Bill watched in disappointment as Zanthar was launched into the horizon. He sighed and rubbed his eye. "Seriously guys? You have one job."

He unconsciously dropped Ford from his chains. The man whooped, believing it was his grand nephew commanding that monstrosity of a robot. "Bravo Dipper! I knew you could do it!"

Bill's eye widened.

Ohhhhh, oh this was too good to be true. Fordsy still didn't see the truth about Mabel. Bill could tell just by looking at that robot that it wasn't Pinetree leading, but good old Shooting Star. He snickered. "Well would'ja look at that! Those two kids," he emphasized the 'two', "really care about you huh?" He turned around to face Ford. "And you care about them, don't you?" His voice turned deep and sinister as his eye glowed red.

Ford paled, opening his mouth to protest or even beg that Bill would not hurt the kids, but Bill wasn't listening. He snapped his fingers and Ford turned to gold once again. "Perhaps torturing those kids will make you talk.

Bill popped out of his Fearamid, massive and very angry. He raised one hulking hand over his head, fixed his bowtie just to show how beneath him they were, and then attacked, slamming his hand down to crush the Shack. There was a massive explosion of energy. Trees bent over backwards and rubble was thrown into the air. Bill raised his hand, ready to fish out and revive the smushed forms of Ford's pathetic family.

But the Shack was still standing.

"W H A T?! NO! NO NO NO NO!" Bill grew six more arms and began pummeling the Shacktron viciously, growing more and more angry with each hit that was deflected off of the magical barrier. He could just barely manage to see in through the giant window.

There was Shooting Star, standing at the front, trying to hide how much she was shaking just to see him. She pointed him and yelled something. Though Bill couldn't hear her, he could make out what she was saying. "Attack!"

Attack what? Him? Didn't little Star know that they could never truly harm him? What was her-

The dinosaur arm shot out and Bill saw what she meant. He saw this in a figurative manner, as its sharp teeth chomped down on his eye and, with a hard tug, pulled it right out of his one socket. Who attacks people's eyes?! That is generally seen as one of the lowest moves! Especially for someone who's eye is their only facial feature!

Dipper and Mabel whooped. "We've got him distracted! Let's go! Now's our chance!" The rescue team dashed off for their weapons and gear before they all ducked into their own tube to be fired off into a battle field. Mabel cradled the secret package in her sweater, making sure it was secure. "Okay gang. We get in, rescue Ford, get out, save the world. Piece of cake."

"Just so we're clear, if I die, I'm suing all of you." Pacifica muttered to hide her true feeling of absalute horror.

Grunckle Stan had other ideas. "On second thought, maybe we could come up with a plan that doesnt involve us plummeting to our certain death?"

"NOW!"

Wendy slammed her hand down on a button and they all were sucked upwards into into their shutes and were rocketed out into the open air. They flew right over Bill's head as the Shack began its assault once again. Mabel rolled in mid-air, laughing wildly. The landing was rough, but they all made it safely inside the horrible Fearamid. Mabel landed gravefully, wincing in sympathy as Stan landed by skidding on his face.

Bill's human throne looked even worse in person. The crappy television screen didn't properly capture the horrific nature of the throne.

Mabel zoomed up onto the throne with her grappling hook. "I found Great Uncle Ford!" She called down to the group of survivors. "He's golden! But not in the good way!" Mabel tossed her grappling hook back down to her team: Dipper caught it and flew up himself, calling to see if she knew a way to unfreeze them.

"I know!"

Never had the younger pines twins thought they would be even remotely happy to hear Gideon's annoying voice. He was dressed up in a sparkly colonial style outfit, dancing uncontrollably. "Gideon," Mabel whispered, actually feeling sorry for the creep, "what happened to you?"

"Bill's doomed me to do cute dances for all of eternity!" He began sobbing cartoonishly. "I'm so tired of being cuuuute."

"How do we unfreeze them?" Dipper was wasting none of his time with Gideon's pity party.

"Mayor Tyler. He's the load bearer. Pull him out and they'll all come down."

Dipper did just that and, true to Gideon's word, they all came crashing down in a massive and impressive heap. Gideon's cage was knocked loose and he fell to the floor as well. Families hugged each other, holding their loved ones close.

Ford, also unfrozen by some plot-armor type miracle, rushed Dipper and Mabel for a hug of his own, scooping them up and cheering "I knew I could count on you two! Haha!" Fiddleford hobbled over to the three. Ford stilled and set the kids down. "Fiddleford? I haven't seen you since we parted ways... you must hate me..."

McGucket didn't answer immediately. He looked down at his own feet, murmuring "I've tried forgetin'. Maybe its time I tried forgivin'." He looked up and smiled wide at Ford. "C'mere old pal!"

Grunkle Stan watched the reunions with a blank face. "'Ey nice to see you too bro. Now would'ja mind movin'? We gotta get outta here."

Dipper nodded, taking over. "Grunkle Stan is right: we don't have much time Great Uncle Ford. Remember right before Bill took you? You said that you knew Bill's weakness."

"Yeah, a secret way to defeat him?"

Ford did indeed know, and with a quickly spray painted circle on the floor, he gave the answer. The circle had an outer ring of ten symbols, with Bill in the very center. "The world's most confusing game of hopscotch?" Pacifica snarked.

"No. Though it would make a very fun game of hopscotch... No, this is a prophecy. Many years ago I came across this symbol with these ten symbols: some I recognized then, some I only recognize now. The native people of Gravity Falls prophesied that these symbols could create a force strong enough to vanquish Bill. With Bill defeated, his weirdness could be reversed and the town could be saved." Ford stepped onto his own symbol, a six fingered hand. "All this time I thought it was just superstition, but now I see that it was destiny! Dipper: the pine tree."

Dipper stepped onto his symbol in awe.

"Mabel: the shooting star." She copied her brother.

Soos was inspecting another symbol. "A question mark... this one's unsolvable!" Someone gave him a gentle nudge into the space.

Wendy shoved Robbie onto a symbol of a stitched up heart. "That one's easy. You've been rocking that dumb hoodie since the seventh grade!"

"Woah... destiny hoodie!"

The tent of telepathy sign! That must be Gideon!"

"Whoo! And excuse to stand next to Mabel," he cooed, suddenly once again perfectly fine with being cute.

She did not look pleased by this turn of events. "Just... don't turn this into a big deal."

"Oh I won't, I won't!" He turned away and excitedly whispered, "I will!"

Outside Bill was being pummeled by the Shacktron. He was marginally glad that his minions couldn't see how humiliating this was. But it was just a matter of time. He knew his work and his prophecy: this robot couldn't destroy him, but if he didn't get a move on, the survivors inside could.

As Bill was knocked onto his back, one hand landed on the robot's foot; not by it, ON it. It took him a moment to process this, but then he was filled with a surge of manic glee.

Bill threw the Shack off of him. "Hey Achilles!" He could never resist a good taunt. "Nice job with the heel!" With a hard tug he removed the leg right out of its socket. Lifting the disembodied leg, he screamed "FOUR" and batted the Shack like it was a little golf ball.

At that moment dark clouds began gathering around the tip of the Fearamid. He was running out of time. But if he left the Shack behind now, it could still cause problems, so the survivors would just have to wait another 30 seconds.

The only one out of the circle was Stanley. "Ya realize that this is a bunch'a hogwash, right? You really think some kind of cave man graffiti is gonna stop that monster?" Several people raised their voice at him, pushing him to join. "Woah hey, I'm not the enemy here people. Don't forget who literally brought about the end of the world."

Mabel flinched, hearing an echo of those same words, but Stan was pointing at his brother. "I'm sorry Stanley, I know! Just... help me fix it, please!"

"Fine. On one condition. Say, thank you."

Ford blanched, disbelieving that Stan was still going on about this. "What?"

Stan put a finger in Ford's face. The look in his eyes screamed that if Ford didn't say "thank you", he would walk out right then and there. "I spent 30 years tryin' ta bring you back into his dimension, learning all your sciencey crap by myself, and you still haven't thanked me! You want me to shake your hand? Say thank you!"

There was a tense pause.

"Fine." Ford huffed and looked away. "Thank you Stanley."

"Ah, see?" Stan didn't neccesarily seem pleased, but he was pacified nevertheless. He jerked on Soos's hand, mumbling, "between me and him I'm not always the worse twin."

"'Between him and me'." The temperature dropped. No one dared to say a word. "Grammar, Stanley."

"I'LL GRAMMAR STANLEY YOU!"

Stan broke the circle to attack his brother, who also broke the circle to defend himself. Then Mabel and Dipper broke the circle to break up the fight. Their efforts were for nothing however: two grown men turned fighters were not about to be broken up by two young pre-teens. Those who remained in their places in the circle raised their voices for the two to stop.

But then they all got quiet, Stan and Ford freezing where they stood with their hands at each other's necks.

Bill was hovering before the doorway, twirling the totem pole of the Shack in his hand. In one millisecond, Bill glanced at Mabel and something flashed in his look: anger? Or greed? She couldn't tell. But then he was laughing scornfully, back to being the mocking enemy. "Oh-ho-ho-ho! This is just TOO perfect! Didn't you brainiacs know that the zodiac doesn't work if you don't all hold hands?" Ford and Stan shared a guilty look. "And what's more, you just brought every threat to my power together in one easy to destroy circle!"

Bill threw out his hands and fire erupted out from them, making the zodiac and several people's hair burn. He tied up Ford and Stan. "You two wanna see what happens when you can't get along?"

"Hey! Give them back!"

"You've gone too far Cipher!"

"Yeah, we're not scared of you!" Fiddleford, Gideon, and Wendy all brandished their weapons or fists, growling.

"Oh, but you should be." Bill snapped his fingers. The three that spoke up against him, Robbie, Pacifica, and Soos all shuddered; then their eyes turned golden with snake-like slits and rolled up into their skulls. They floated above the ground. "Y'know," Bill continued, his booming voice filled with malice, "the place could really use some decoration!"

With another snap of his fingers, the six were turned into morbid tapestries. They hung from the ceiling, each face twisted and screaming in either fear or terror with their hands raised to break free or protect themselves.

"Looks like it's too late for your friends Stanford." Bill pointed to the younger Pines twins. A blue pyramid of a cage rose up around them, keeping them trapped. "But you can still save your family! Tell me how to take Weirdmageddon global and I'll spare the kids."

"No! Don't do it!"

Mabel joined in with a taunting, "Yeah! Bill makes bad deals!"

Bill's eye twitched and he rounded on the two kids. "Oh that's rich Shooting Star! You didn't seem to think the same when it involved your little problems and your pathetic view of summer was on the line!"

For one split second, Mabel and Bill were eye to eye, glaring at each other. Time seemed to slow, dragging the split second on. It was as if (for that split second that lasted too long,) Mabel and Bill were the only ones present. Reality felt smudged. Were they in the Fearamid, or back in the mindscape sharing stories and a cup of empty tea? Were they enemies, or friends? Could she trust him, or did she have to run from his with everything in her?

Still staring at each other, Mabel saw a thousand pictures flash in his eye, too fast to normally process; but she still grasped the meaning to a degree: she really had done this before, and something had gone wrong.

This time, she knew how to fix it.

Mabel flinched, playing along with how everything went down the first time around. She stood up straighter. "And I was wrong! And you're a dummy!" She raised the can of spray paint quick as a flash and sprayed him right in the eye. Bill lurched back, screaming about his eye for the second time in five minutes.

"Nice job Pumpkin!" Stan cheered. He then yelped in alarm as Bill (having lost his concentration,) dropped the hands holding him and Ford aloft.

Mabel was proud of herself. She had stood up to Bill two times in a row now. "I know that hurts because I've accidentally done it to myself! Multiple times!" Dipper smirked. He stepped in front of Mabel and brandished the size-altering flashlight, his arm stretched out and covering her chest: she liked to think he was holding her back when he did that, making sure she didn't take all the glory of whooping Bill's triangle butt for herself. In a flash the cage was large enough for them to crawl through.

"Save yourselves! Run! We'll take care of Bill!"

Both Ford's and Stan's jaws dropped. "What?! Dipper you can't be serious, that's a suicide mission!"

"Trust us!" Dipper grabbed Mabel's hand and began dashing off with her. "We've beaten him before and we'll do it again!"

"But maybe do consider a back up plan just in case!" Mabel yelled over her shoulder.

The two older twins simultaneously moved to rush after the kids, but they didn't get one step in before an invisible force held them back in a chokehold. "Not so fast." Bill just sounded more tired and irritated than angry at this point. "You two wait here. I've got some children to make into corpses." His form changed. He turned primarily red, with six golden arms and black swollen tounges lolling from his open sides. He raised another cage around the two. Peeking into it like a schoolgirl peeking into a tank of fish, he said in an unearthly voice "see ya real soon!" With a snap of his fingers, the (unknown fake) memory gun, Ford's interdimensional lazer gun, and Stan's brass knuckles all flew into the air. The three items dissolved before their very eyes. "Just in case you get any funny ideas."

With that, Bill crawled away on all eight limbs with amazing speed, crawling sideways and even upside down. The two older men were quickly falling into despair and panic, reduced to banging their hands on the unbreakable barrier.

Meanwhile, Mabel and Dipper were running for their very lives. They ducked through corridors and sharp angles, grappled up vertical columns, and took as many twisting turns as they could. All the while, they were trying to ignore Bill's screams of rage. He was breaking through the support columns of the Fearamid in his rage, but that didn't seem to be having any effect on the structural integrity of the building. Mabel was easily guiding them along the same route they had taken last time, trying to buy their great uncles some time to think.

Mabel and Dipper threw taunts back at Bill over their shoulders: mostly just to relive some of the fear and stress. He wasn't taking too kindly to that.

Back in the main room, Ford and Stan slumped in miserable defeat. Ford didn't think he had ever seen Stan look so heartbroken and distraught. "I can't believe it!" Even his voice sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "The kids are gonna die and it's all my fault! Just because I couldn't shake your stupid hand!" He sunk to his knees. "Dad was right about me. I am just a screw up."

Ford felt his normally hardened heart towards his brother turn to mush at the sight: he'd never really seen through his anger at Stan just how much his twin cared for those twins: when Stan had been the only one of them present, Dipper and Mabel had gotten into a few scrapes, but had emerged unscathed; then Ford had come around. Sure, his return was, entirely, Stanley's fault, but Stan had just been doing what he always did: protect people. (When he wasn't busy scamming them, that is.) Ford sighed and sunk down onto the floor by his brother. "Ahh, don't blame yourself. I'm the one who made a deal with him in the first place. I fell for all his easy flattery. You would have seen him for the scam artist he is." He took a long drink from a flask and handed it to Stan.

Stan took it. "How did things get so messed up between us?" He took a drink himself: what he swallowed... wasn't water to say the least. "And since when did you start drinking alcohol, Mr. 'I-only-drink-what's-healthy'?"

Ford chuckled through a sigh. "It's modified to be perfectly healthy. It'll also repair your kidneys. (Plus I like the flavor.) And, to answer your first question, we used to once be like the kids. They're facing certain death and still they trust each other." He looked to Stan, as if he could truly give him answers. "How do they do it?"

"Easy: they're kids. They don't know any better." Stan looked up as Ford suddenly stood. There was an unsettling determination in his eyes. "Woah, where're you goin'?"

"I'm going to play the only trick we have left. I'm going to let Bill back into my mind. He'll be able to take over the galaxy, and maybe even the universe, but at least he might let you and the kids free."

Stan leapt to his feet. "WHAT?! Are you kidding me?! Are you seriously telling me there is nothing else we can do?! No way to fight him?!"

Ford opened his jacket. "Well, if I had my way, I would let him in and then we could erase him out with the memory gun. But he destroyed the gun and I have long since had a metal plate installed in my head." He tapped the side of his head to prove his point.

As his jacket was moved however, one tiny little item tumbled out of a pocket: it had been jostled loose by all the torture and movement from earlier. It was a small little gun, very similar to a modern day handgun.

Stan and Ford looked at the gun, then to each other. An unspoken idea popped in their minds at the same time. "If he's in someone's mind... he's vulnerable."

Stan swallowed hard. "Why don't we let him into my mind? There's nothing worthwhile in there."

Mabel's and Dippers' luck seemed to have finally run out. Less than two minutes later, Bill's footsteps could be heard booming up to the front room. The small gun was pressed into a brother's hands and turned to face Bill as he squeezed himself in through the door.

"Alright Ford! Time's up!" Bill raised his fist up high, showing the struggling Mabel and Dipper inside. "I've got the kids!" He sounded sickly happy about the fact. "I think I'm gonna kill one of them, just for the heck of it!"

His eye flashed a glowing red image of the pine tree. "EENIE!"

His eye flashed the shooting star. "MEENIE!

Back to the pine tree. "MINEY!" Mabel and Dipper turned around to face their certain death. He was desperately trying to cover his sister, as if his body could protect her.

Bill raised his free hand, ready to snap his fingers as he bellowed "YOU!"

"WAIT!"

Bill paused. He looked to Ford. "I surrender!"

If he could have, Bill would have smirked. "Good choice." He unceremoniously dropped Dipper and Mabel. In the back of his mind he wondered himself if he would have actually killed Shooting Star; but he didn't really care. This wasn't the time for that train of thought: all that mattered right then was getting the equation and then stealing her magic.

Stan grabbed Ford and shook him, as if trying to shake common sense into him. There was something strained in his voice that Bill didn't quite understand. "Don't do it Ford! It'll destroy the universe!"

"It's the only way!"

Bill cackled. "Oh even in the face of certain doom you Pines twins just can't get along!" He snapped his fingers, dissolving the cage and tying up Stan.

"My only condition, you let the kids and my brother go free."

Bill scowled. "Fine." Technically Mabel would "go free" if she didn't even know that he was taking her magic. He could just make up another lie about how he was removing a curse of his or whatever from her.

"No! Grunkle Ford, don't trust him!" Dipper yelled.

Mabel swallowed hard. It hurt to sit back and let her great uncle make the deal, but if she made her move now, then everything would fall apart.

She watched, almost in a daze, as Ford extended his hand to the demon, letting him into his mind. She watched the ethereal form zoom with manic glee into Ford's body. To her surprise however, Stan slid off the iconic fez, revealing he and Ford had switched clothing; which had not been something that had happened last time, she was pretty sure.

Then, finally, as Ford dressed as Stan lifted his shaking hands to end the life of his brother and save the world, Mabel was on her feet and standing between Ford and Stan. "Wait!"

She could see the heart break in his eyes as he looked at her. "Mabel, you need to move."

Not listening, Mabel reached into her sweater, where she had kept the real memory gun until now. She primed it, pressing it into his hands. "It's the real one. Please..."

Ford took the memory gun with an urgent haste. He quickly entered in the correct order, took a deep breath, lifted the gun, and pulled the trigger.

\-- inside Stan's mind --

Bill was panicking, pleading with Stan as if that could somehow fix this situation. Stan himself looked slightly confused. "Funny this is far more graceful than what I imagined getting shot in the head would be. Eh, not that I'm complaining."

"YOU IDIOT! THIS IS MEMORY ERASURE!" Bill was reaching levels of hysteria that he had never felt before. All he could think was that Mabel had somehow pulled the rug out from underneath him even further, and somehow had been in possession of the real memory gun.

And now he was fading. There was no way out this time. No clever tricks or clean deals were there for him to use this time.

Stan scoffed and shrugged. "Eh, either way. You're going down Bill. There's nothing to save you now." He stood up from his easy chair, towering over the trembling demon. "Look at me. Turn around and look at me ya one eyed freak!" Bill swiveled, facing Stanley. "You're a real wise guy, but you made one mistake. Ya messed with my family, and now, ya get to pay the price."

Bill's eye darkened. The flames around rising with his anher and hysteria, he screamed out a spell, calling for aid one last time: his form changed and morphed from one horror to another, fluid and incomprehensible. By the time his seeming gibberish inducing seizure had finished, his form was shaking uncontrollably. Bill tried to reach out to Stanley, one final attack.

Stan watched in resigned justice as a strong left hook made contact with Bill's eye, shatering him into a million pieces.

Bill Cipher was gone. His trickery and evil would no longer plague the world.

Stan stood wearily. He looked longily at a photo of him and the kids, and he smiled.

"Guess I was good for something after all."

In the outside world, horrors and atrocities were all sucked back into the rift: people and buildings were restored to normal: all the marks of Bill's insanity were wiped away as easily as one wipes a chalk board clean. In the middle of it all, one man was kneeling on the ground, his face turned up to the sky as if in prayer, all alone.

Three figures rushed over to him: an elderly man and two children. They tried to talk to him, but he didn't remember them. His mind was as empty as a newborn's. The young girl cried at this, but he didn't know why. The three led him away, talking to him all the while. They brought him into a dilapidated shack: the girl fetched a scrap book, beginning to show him pictures and scenes he didnt recognize.

"I'm sorry Kiddo, I really don't remember anything like this." He rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. "Really, I--" A fat pig leapt onto his lap. He leapt to his feet with an angry yell. "AGH WADDLES! I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER MY TRAUMATIC BACKSTORY HERE!"

Mabel and Dipper both gasped in excitement. "It's working!" They nearly cried in unison. Mabel waved the man back to his seat on the chair. "Come on Grunkle Stan! Look over here! This was the day we went fishing! Dipper and I left you behing on a fruitless monster chase, but then we came back and we fished until sunset. You nesrly crashed the car..."

Stanley sat back in his chair, letting the people around him -- his family -- tell him of all of their adventures and mishaps. Somewhere, though he couldn't place where or why, he knew that they would all be safe from then on.

And maybe, just maybe, it was his doing that they would be safe now.

A/N

Well guess who discovered a literal mine of grammar errors in chapter 8, from which 75% of the material of this chapter is copied from. I am thoroughly dissapointed in myself for that. Polite request: if any of yall catch a particularly poor chapter like chapter 8, please bring it to my attention. I sometimes get so worked up to publish a chapter that I do a crap job of the review and revision.

Anyway, onto lighter subjects, how was this chapter huh? Mabel finally is starting to realize what's going on, Bill is gone, and the family is back together. Next chapter will focus on the gang poking at the reality of Mabel having magic; lightly explaining why and such such. We'll probably have one, maybe two, more chapters of 13-y-o twins, then we'll get drop kicked into the future.

Also don't worry. Bill's comin back, and I still have a reasonable and not morally questionable plan to make this into a MaBill fic.

Well that's about it! Thanks again to everyone who is enjoying the story so far! Please keep me updated on the quality of my chapters, whether grammatically or character and plot wise.

So long Lovies!


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